REEEP

Clean energy organisations show united front at WFES 2012

Abu Dhabi, 20.01.2012 - REEEP International Secretariat

For the second year running, REEEP, REN21 and the International Institute for Sustainable Development each enjoyed a podium on the IRENA stand at the 2012 World Future Energy Summit (WFES) in Abu Dhabi. “Collaboration is essential in driving forward the transition to low-carbon energy,” notes Martin Hiller, “and by once again kindly hosting these key clean energy organisations on their stand at WFES, the International Renewable Energy Agency enabled us all to show a united front. REEEP was also very pleased to be present on one of the busiest stands of the entire exhibition.”

Since its establishment in 2008, the WFES has quickly grown to be one of the leading global forums for clean energy and related technologies. Prominent speakers during the 2012 event included Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao who delivered a keynote speech reiterating China’s commitment to sustainable growth, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who called on governments, the private sector, and civil society to make significant commitments to action in support of his Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.  

Built around the theme ’Powering Sustainable Innovation,’ the Summit attracted an estimated 26,000 visitors between 16th and 19th January. The event comprises both a conference and exhibition, with companies from all over the world promoting their latest clean energy products and services. This year, China had a national pavilion at the exhibition for the first time, showcasing over 40 companies from that country alone.

Another highlight of WFES 2012 was the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the biggest solar-powered ship ever built, which was docked a few blocks away at the from the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC) for the duration of the summit.  Measuring around 101 feet long and 49 feet wide, the ship has been circling the globe over the past year, and stopped in Abu Dhabi on its way home to journey's end in Monaco.

Alongside the WFES this year, REEEP signed an agreement with the government of Tonga to support legislation for the Tonga Energy Roadmap (TERM), and also held a workshop on Linked Open Data, kindly hosted by Masdar Institute.  This brought together 20 key clean energy organizations to discuss the opening up of data sets. Click here for more on the workshop itself.
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