How can sustainable energy lead toward a green economy, and the Cutting-edge technologies developed by the Masdar Institute Solar Platform are just a few of the subjects discussed with Nicolas Calvet, Founder and Chair of the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP).
Dr. Nicolas Calvet, Founder, and Chair of the Masdar Institute Solar Platform (MISP) first facility in the UAE dedicated to concentrated solar power & thermal energy storage R&D. Professor of Sustainable Energy at Khalifa University.
Renewable energy seems to be a top priority in the UAE. The country is aiming to increase the contribution of clean energy in its energy mix to 50% by 2050, which seems to be “well within reach”, thanks in part to low power purchase agreement prices secured for projects and the “resilience and determination” shown by the country’s renewables sector amid COVID-19.
” The Masdar Institute Solar Platform was founded in 2013 when I joined UAE and the Masdar Institute, and the goal was to develop R& D activity around concentrated solar power (CSP) and more importantly thermal energy storage (TES). The intention was to attract international collaboration to bring different technology to the UAE and test them in a desert environment. It's very important to test this technology in our very specific environment.”
How can sustainable energy lead to a green economy? Can you
explain what is your part in this?
” The example of the UAE is a perfect example. Because when I joined Masdar Institute in 2013, and at this time renewable energy was very expensive and so
we’re competing against fossil fuels which were very affordable because we are in an oil and gas country of course, and with time we have seen the cost of renewable energy decreasing still reaching the level of fossil fuel which was a breakthrough at this time. Renewable energy became cost-competitive with fossil fuel and recently in April 2020, we got a new world record in Abu Dhabi of 1.35 cents a KW for solar PV which means that today solar energy in the UAE is the cheapest way to produce electricity including fossil fuel.”
Listen to the full episode at https://lnkd.in/eYzrFXPg
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