Masdar is planned as a sustainable mixed-use development designed to be very friendly to pedestrians and cyclists. The city is designed to be a hub for cleantech companies. Initiated in 2006, the project was estimated to cost US$18-22 billion and take approximately eight years to build, with the first completed and habitable in 2009. At the current phase, there are no residential areas in Masdar city and the workers in the city are commuting from nearby suburbs like Khalifa city.In 2008, Masdar City broke ground and embarked on a daring journey to develop the world’s most sustainable eco-city.Through smart investments, Masdar City is successfully pioneering a “greenprint” for how cities can accommodate rapid urbanisation and dramatically reduce energy, water and waste.

The city, which combines ancient Arabic architectural techniques with modern technology and captures prevailing winds is naturally cooler and more comfortable during the high summer temperatures.But the sun is also a blessing. Harnessing the sun’s rays, Masdar uses clean energy generated on site from rooftop solar technology and one of the largest photovoltaic installations in the Middle East.At the city’s core is an innovation engine. The city is growing its neighbourhoods around the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, a research university dedicated to cutting-edge solutions in the fields of energy and sustainability. The institute is Masdar City’s nucleus, which extends a spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the city. Companies can foster close ties with the university and partner to spark economic growth and accelerate breakthrough technologies to market.

With a few thousand people living and working in Masdar City, it is on its way to realising its vision. But this is only the beginning. Masdar City continues to add new businesses, schools, restaurants, apartments and much more, creating the diversity of any major, modern city. When complete, 40,000 people will live in Masdar City, with an additional 50,000 commuting every day to work and study.

Masdar is on a mission to advance the clean energy industry in Abu Dhabi and around the world, and it is a catalyst for the economic diversification of the emirate.

The Mubadala Development Company, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi government, established Masdar as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2006. Masdar is guided byThe Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, a programme that drives new sources of income for the emirate and strengthens its knowledge-based economic sectors.

Masdar takes a holistic approach to its organisation, with four business units that are interconnected and a research arm that complements their work. The business units are Masdar Capital, Masdar Clean Energy, Masdar Special Projects and Masdar City. Masdar Institute, an independent, research-driven graduate university, rounds out the organisation.

With each unit focused on a key component of the value chain, Masdar operates with the broad scope needed to meet the most pressing sustainability challenges of tomorrow. This keeps Masdar at the global forefront of the clean energy industry as we pursue pioneering and commercially viable technologies and systems.

The Masdar Institute of Science and Technology is an independent, research-driven, graduate-level university focused on advanced energy and sustainable technologies.

Established in 2007 with the ongoing support and cooperation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Masdar Institute integrates theory and practice to incubate a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

Masdar Institute offers eight master’s degree programmes based on the U.S. graduate education system. Students from more than 40 countries bring a diverse spectrum of backgrounds, interests and talents to the university community.

Serving as a key pillar of innovation and human capital, Masdar Institute remains fundamental to Abu Dhabi’s core objectives of developing a knowledge economy and finding solutions to the toughest global challenges.

Masdar Capital manages the investments that bring Masdar’s clean and renewable energy ideas to life. It is the organisation’s private equity/venture capital arm, working for both Masdar and a range of international investors.

Masdar Capital currently has two global, late-stage venture/growth equity investment vehicles, the Masdar Clean Tech Fund and DB Masdar Clean Tech Fund.

Having actively and directly invested for five years, the funds are focused on building portfolios in some of the world’s most promising and pioneering companies in clean technology and renewable energy.

Masdar Capital continues to launch and raise new funds to take advantage of profitable sectors while growing its assets under management.

Masdar has committed more than $1.7 billion (U.S.) to renewable energy developments, with those investments helping to deliver nearly 1 gigawatt of clean power in the United Arab Emirates and beyond.

Within the UAE, Masdar Clean Energy projects include:

• The 100-megawatt Shams 1 solar power project with Abengoa Solar and Total that stretches over more than 2.5 square kilometres in western Abu Dhabi;
• Masdar City’s 10-megawatt solar photovoltaic plant in Abu Dhabi;
• Masdar City’s 1-megawatt solar rooftop installations;
• And carbon capture and sequestration projects that seek to add value to the national economy while also reducing industrial carbon emissions.

Internationally, Masdar Clean Energy has invested in high-profile, utility-scale renewable energy projects likeTorresol Energy, a joint venture in Spain with SENER that operates 120 megawatts of concentrated solar power plants, and the London Array, a 650-megawatt offshore wind farm in the Thames Estuary.

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is a global platform that addresses the interconnected challenges that affect the widespread acceleration and adoption of sustainable development and clean energy. To seriously address the global energy challenge, the relationships between economic development, poverty eradication, energy security, water scarcity and climate change cannot be overlooked. ADSW, the largest gathering on sustainability in the history of the Middle East, encourages actionable outcomes to carve a pathway toward sustainability worldwide.

Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) is the largest gathering on sustainability in the Middle East, and a significant platform for international dialogue and cooperation.

In 2015, ADSW welcomed over 32,000 participants from 170 countries, in an effort to:

• Tackle the world’s pressing issues in energy, water and environment
• Accelerate the global adoption of renewable energy and sustainable development
• Address water challenges in arid regions
• Elevate the water-energy nexus topics on the global agenda
• Encourage the dialogue between broad industry stakeholders to strengthen strategic partnerships
• Stimulate investment in water, energy and environment projects
• Empower the young generations and entrepreneurs

This year, between 16th and 23rd January 2016, ADSW will, once again, bring world leaders, policy makers, thought leaders, decision makers, experts, scientists, business leaders and academics together to discuss, debate, and ultimately address the energy and sustainability challenges of the future.

Anchored by the World Future Energy Summit (WFES), the 2016 programme will feature a series of complementary events, conferences and exhibitions, including: The International Water Summit; The Abu Dhabi Renewable Energy Conference; The Zayed Future Energy Prize Award Ceremony; The International Renewable Energy Agency meeting; and Ecowaste.

Our world is increasingly embracing innovative solutions in order to create a sustainable future, and the Zayed Future Energy Prize is a unique platform that recognises and rewards today’s innovators for their contributions to change.

His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the Armed Forces of the United Arab Emirates, established the prize in 2008 and launched it at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. It honours his legacy of environmental stewardship.

The founding father and president of the United Arab Emirates, the late sheikh championed the sustainability cause long before it became a global, agenda-leading imperative.

The $4 million (U.S.) prize annually rewards outstanding achievements in different sectors, with annual categories that include: large corporation, small and medium enterprise, nonprofit/non-governmental organisation, lifetime achievement, and global high school.

Solar Impulse 2 is the only airplane of perpetual endurance, able to fly day and night on solar power, without a drop of fuel.

Solar Impulse 2 is attempting the First Round-The-World Solar Flight in 2015 and beginning and ending its historic adventure in Abu Dhabi.

The Around-the-World Mission will take place over 5 months from the beginning of March to late July or early August 2015. Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, is Solar Impulse’s host city for the First Round-The-World Solar Flight.

The Solar Impulse team is hosted by Masdar and Abu Dhabi for testing, training, and community engagement ahead of the first solar-powered flight around the world.