Masdar announces Strategic Partnership with Schneider Electric

Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s multi-faceted renewable energy company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), and Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management, today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement covering broad partnership initiatives between the two entities. The announcement was made ahead of the upcoming World Future Energy Summit, Schneider Electric will provide energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for Masdar City – the 6-sq-km clean-technology cluster in Abu Dhabi.

The mutual agreement outlines the delivery of a ‘living laboratory’ Innovation Center at Masdar City that will incorporate both a Research and Development Facility and a Technical Centre of Excellence. The R&D facility will focus on long-term sustainable technology research in Green Buildings (Energy efficiency initiatives), Smart Grids (City-wide management system), Water (District Cooling, Treatment Plants) and ICT (Data Centers, Smart Buildings). The center of excellence will be a laboratory addressing current design practices utilised in Masdar City with the view to ensuring optimum efficiency and integration.

Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar, said: “At the heart of the Masdar City project is a commitment to partnering with leading industry players, such as Schneider Electric, to bring the latest technologies and newest ideas to help the city achieve its ambitious sustainability goals. As both a cleantech cluster and sustainable community, Masdar City will be a global center of research, development and real-world testing of cutting-edge renewable energy and demand reduction technologies. Schneider Electric’s presence in the city will catalyze the development of the clean technology cluster in Abu Dhabi.”

The strategic agreement will draw on the full spectrum of Schneider Electric’s energy management capabilities. Parts of the work will include the development of turnkey solutions for solar farms at Masdar City, and the establishment of a Schneider Electric Innovation and Application Competency Centre in collaboration with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, which is located at Masdar City. Masdar City will also benefit from Schneider Electric’s Ecostruxure architecture which unites its expertise in power, datacenters, process and machines, building control, and physical security to optimize energy efficiencies across multiple domains.

Jean Pascal Tricoire, President & CEO of Schneider Electric, said: “We are pleased to sign this strategic partnership agreement with Masdar. We are proud to play our part in such a revolutionary and important initiative that will draw the world’s focus to Abu Dhabi. The contribution of Schneider Electric will become a benchmark of our capability to tackle the environmental challenge across the globe.”

Schneider Electric has been present in the Gulf for 30 years. Through its network of six regional sales offices, Schneider Electric employs over 800 employees and works with 80 channel partners, serving the Gulf economy by providing complete solutions for all its power and control needs.

Masdar City, which will be home to companies and residents, as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency, will hand over the first building to be occupied in the city to the Masdar Institute by the middle of this year. The first residents, who are students at the university, will move in by the third quarter of 2010.