Intelligent building Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Intelligent building - Assignment Example Its potential will initially be showcased via the 10-megawatt solar park at Masdar City in Abu Dhabi as it started development in May 2010. It will be able to supply Masdar City with 17,500 megawatt-hours annually. This paper will try to discuss what made Madar City innovative in its 21st century sustainable economy campaign as well as carbon neutral town. It will also provide an ideal eco-city or better model based on the Masdar City goal. Discussion Masdar City Masdar City is a planned carbon-neutral and zero-waste town in Abu Dhabi (Appendix A), a federate state of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi has abundant hydrocarbon resources that generates up to 70% of its gross domestic product or GDP. The emirate owns about 95% of the United Arab Emirates oil resources. Abu Dhabi started its policy on the promotion of renewable energy through the Masdar initiative in 2006. Masdar City is its focus to develop a carbon-neutral town (Reiche, 2009) with a targeted realisation by 2016. Alre ady by that time, the population will be about 90,000 composed of 40,000 residents and 50,000 daily commuters. Masdar is a 212,000 square metres or 55 acres development with more than 87,000 solar modules. It uses 50% thin film from First Solar and 50% crystalline from Suntech. As mentioned earlier, it produces some 17,500 MWh of electricity per year and offsets about 15,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year (Asian Solar, 2009). In contrast, the UAE requires 6,600 MW or about $5,000m (Asian Solar, 2009). Aside from the solar power plant, Masdar City will also develop the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology with focus on information technology, water and environment, engineering systems and management, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, amongst others (Reiche, 2009). It targeted to open by fall of 2009. Masdar also is geared towards attracting some 1500 technological companies engaged in sustainable energy. It helps that Masdar is a free zone, which mean t that companies maybe 100% foreign owned, zero taxes and zero import tariffs (Reiche 2009). To start achieving its goals, the local government of Abu Dhabi has already offered the International Renewable Energy Agency of IRENA to be host of its headquarters, which was accepted. IRENA was founded in Germany with 114 country-members, and it is the first international organization to base in the Middle East. IRENA was granted by the Abu Dhabi government $135 million for its incubation period, and additional $50 million yearly to fund IRENA-endorsed projects in developing countries for a succession of seven years (The National, 2009). The purposes of developing Masdar City are many, but mainly to diversify economy of Abu Dhabi. Its economy is currently dependent on exporting fossil fuel and the government’s leadership is preparing for the depletion of fossil fuel source as well as making its businesses competitive. The goal is to â€Å"transition from a 20th Century, carbon-bas ed economy into a 21st Century sustainable economy,† (Masdar, 2009, 1). It hopes to use its oil wealth to lead a renewable energy economy (Reiche, 2009).