Abu Dhabi could become the world’s leading centre for alternative energy, says the head of a research institute planned for the carbon-neutral Masdar City.
Everything from new types of solar panels to new ways to capture carbon dioxide will be developed at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), says its president Dr Russel Jones.
Located in what will be the world’s first non-emissions city, MIST is receiving academic support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and will welcome its first students in Sept 2009.
All students will be postgraduates engaged in research for Master’s or PhD degrees, unlike many universities in the UAE, which focus on teaching undergraduates rather than research.
When asked where the institution will rank worldwide in alternative energy research, Dr Jones replied: “The top. The Crown Prince [Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed] wants nothing less. We hope to be to Masdar City what Stanford is to Silicon Valley or what Oxford and Cambridge are to the research facilities that surround them.”
The Masdar initiative, which includes an investment arm in addition to the creation of Masdar City and MIST, is part of the Abu Dhabi Government’s plans to diversify the economy to reduce reliance on oil and promote the use of alternative fuels.
Masdar City will eventually have a population of 50,000 with 1,500 businesses – many working in the alternative energy field and using discoveries developed by MIST – but there will be no waste and no cars.
“MIST will develop energy, be it wind, solar, geothermal or biomass,” Dr Jones said. “The aim is to make Abu Dhabi an exporter of technology.”
The faculty will look at everything from developing thin film solar panels and replacing the silicon panels widely used now to ways to reduce aircraft emissions.
And the centre will not confine itself to developing alternative energy sources that can be used in the UAE.
“One faculty member is working on energy from waves. There are no waves in the Gulf, but there are in the North Sea and around Iceland,” Dr Jones said.
So far, 14 academic staff have been appointed out of 1,000 applicants. They are spending a year at MIT, beginning research projects they will continue at MIST.
MIST will have about 100 students when it opens in September 2009, in a building designed by Lord Foster, the renowned British architect. Construction has started on the Masdar site near Abu Dhabi International Airport.
By 2015, Dr Jones, an American who has spent most of his career at US universities, hopes MIST will eventually have 800 students and about 120 academic staff.
“Size is not as important as quality,” he said. “Many institutions make the mistake of trying to reach a large size to begin with by lowering their standards, and have great difficulty in getting them back up. We’re doing the opposite. We’re holding firm to the standards of MIT.”
While Dr Jones is keen to attract Emiratis, he said MIST would draw students with outstanding academic records from all over the world.
“The president of Iceland was here earlier this year and he said he wanted to send students here,” Dr Jones said.
MIST is not a branch campus of MIT, so students will not receive their degrees from the American institution. However, MIT will give them a certificate that states their degree is the equivalent of those it issues.
MIST has signed a five-year contract with MIT for academic collaboration and support, and Dr Jones said he expected it to be renewed for “at least” five years more.
In addition, MIST has formed partnerships with universities based in Japan, Canada, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom for joint research projects.