Scotland to sign renewable energy deal with Masdar at World Summit

Scotland is to sign a renewable energy deal with renewables giant Masdar, based in Abu Dhabi, in the first agreement of its kind between Masdar and an individual nation.

The arrangement will see Scotland’s Energy Technology Partnership, a union of 12 Scottish universities, partner with The Masdar Institute to develop new technologies in wind, solar, wave and tidal power.

First minister Alex Salmond is visiting the capital of the United Arab Emirates next week to sign the “ground-breaking” partnership at the 5th annual Worlf Future Energy Summit.

He will be there alongside other world leaders, such as UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon and Premier Wen Jiabao of China.

Westminster is only sending Lord Howell of Guildford, the Foreign Office Minister responsible for International Energy Policy.

Masdar. an Abu Dhabi state-owned company, was set up five years ago to wean the oil-rich state away from its dependence on fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy projects.

It has a multi-billion pound capital fund for investment in projects across the world, some of which Salmond hopes will end up in Scotland. He was in the country two months ago, negotiating the deal.

After all, according to Fortune magazine, Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world.

The first minister said: “This is the first agreement of its kind between Masdar and an individual nation and will work towards developing further university research into renewable energy.

“This landmark deal rightly puts Scotland firmly at the forefront of the green energy revolution and I look forward to this relationship between Scotland and Masdar growing and delivering for all our global futures.”

Masdar has several major projects, the most astonishing of which is Masdar City. Situated 17km from downtown Abu Dhabi, this high-density, pedestrian-friendly development is being constructed to be self-sufficient in renewable energy, to test and showcase clean technologies.

It hosts The Masdar Institute, developed in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and its students are the city’s first residents.

The deal is part of a growing relationship between the regions. In November, Alex Salmond opened the Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), Heriot-Watt University’s new ￡35m (ED200m) purpose-built campus and visited the Masdar Institute.

He said at the time that “this 21st century campus will quite rightly help establish the high quality reputation of Heriot-Watt University in the United Arab Emirates and will pave the way for the University’s expansion in the region and further afield”.

Illustrating the strategic nature of the relationship, Lena Wilson, Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, added that “by collaborating with Dubai we can proactively make it easier for Scottish companies to trade within the UAE, ultimately boosting the Scottish economy”.

Source : http://www.link2portal.com/scotland-sign-renewable-energy-deal-masdar-world-summit?utm_source=http%3a%2f%2ftenalps.communigatormail2.co.uk%2ftenalpslz%2f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Energynewsletter_12.01.12&utm_term=Electric+racer+unveiled+that%27s+as+fast+as+Formula+1+&utm_content=763621

Energy Costs In Britain ‘Will Not Drop’

Two leading figures in the UK energy industry have said that it is “not possible” for energy costs to drop in Britain.

Speaking on Jeff Randall Live on Sky News, chief executive of npower, Volker Beckers, said costs cannot be any lower than today because commodity prices are always rising.

Mr Beckers said: “Will they (costs) be lower than they are today? That is not possible anymore.

“We see that commodity prices go up and we now reduce our dependence on commodity costs, so our dependence on gas, on coal, on oil, will go down by the day.”

Steve Holliday, Chief Executive of National Grid, which provides the backbone to Britain’s energy supply added: “In any scenario, it is hard to imagine that the costs of our energy are going to be lower than they are today.

“It is not the real world. People should be honest with consumers. Energy costs are going up.

“The challenge for the Government and industry is how to keep those cost increases as low as possible.”

Npower produces a tenth of the UK’s electricity output

Their comments come as energy regulator, Ofgem, says Britain needs £200bn worth of investment by 2020 to keep the lights on and make our energy supply greener.

That is double the rate of investment seen in the UK over the previous two decades.

In order to encourage and secure these investments, the energy bosses called on the Government to form a coherent energy policy.

Mr Volkers told Jeff Randall: “What is now needed is action. We need certainty and consistency.”

He continued: “We need to ensure that whatever we invest into, is technology which is ensuring that the industry in the UK is competitive and at the same time affordable to consumers.”

By 2020, 15% of the UK’s energy needs must be met by renewable sources such as wind and solar power to meet European directives.

Currently, sustainable energy only produces 7-8% of Britain’s energy requirements. The Government has expressed that more subsidies and green taxes are needed.

National Grid chief, Mr Holliday, explained: “We are still not getting on with energy efficiency.

He said: “The technology is there today to reduce our energy consumption of electricity and gas in this country by 25-30%.

“That is part of what we need to do in renewing and refurbishing our buildings, changing our lighting systems, changing our heating systems.

“The way in which we will keep some of these things under control is by consuming less energy ultimately.”

Source: http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/16142387