Fraunhofer know-how for the ecological model city Masdar

On June 21, 2009, the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company, representing the Masdar City Project, signed a cooperative agreement for a strategic partnership. The aim of the cooperation between the largest European institution for applied research and the ecological futuristic city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is firstly to found a joint project group. Over the long term the goal is to establish a close cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development and building planning. Participating in the cooperation are the Fraunhofer Institutes for Industrial Engineering IAO and for Building Physics IBP as well as the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.

"Coupling applied research with sustainability is one of the strengths of our Institutes," says Prof. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, President of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. "Therefore it is of great mutual interest to bring Fraunhofer into the unique, future-oriented project of the eco-city Masdar. I am looking forward to a close strategic cooperation in this important field. This cooperation represents a milestone in the development of sustainable solutions for meeting the global challenges."

"Our mission is to accelerate innovation in clean and renewable technologies and make these available and affordable on a global scale", said Masdar CEO Dr. Sultan Al Jaber. "We believe global collaboration is essential to achieving this mission and our partnerships with MIT, DLR, Imperial College and the Tokyo Institute of Technology are proof of this. The collaboration with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will also ensure Masdar plays a key role in the development of Abu Dhabi's renewable energy sector; driving continual innovation and commercialisation of clean and sustainable energy technologies."

Masdar City is to be constructed on an area of approximately 6 square kilometres, located about 30 kilometres east of the capital Abu Dhabi. It is designed to support a population of about 50,000. The planned carbon-neutral city is to be supplied entirely by renewable energy, using systematic recycling techniques it is to be nearly waste-free and will have significantly reduced water consumption. Thanks to an underground transportation system, it is to have car-free streets.