Visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton commended Abu Dhabi company Masdar’s clean energy ambition and said the UAE was well positioned to compete in the 21st century because of its commitment to clean, renewable energy.

She was delivering a speech at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology campus, the Middle East’s first graduate research institution dedicated to innovations in clean energy located at Masdar City – affirming the strong ties between the US and the UAE.

Clinton, who is on a six-day trip to the Middle East, also commended Masdar’s ambition and commitment to advancing and commercializing innovations in renewable energy and clean technology.

The US Secretary also met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan at Al Mamoura in the UAE capital on Monday.

Earlier in the her address, Clinton praised the vision of the country's leadership, and said, 'The UAE is positioning itself to be a center for innovation and entrepreneurship for years to come.”

'We are fully committed to supporting your work and we will do everything we can through our academic institutions, like MIT, through our government, like the Department of Energy and the State Department, and through our private sector, to bring more jobs and to bring more innovative entrepreneurial spirit here to the UAE,' she noted.

“I want my country to know how advanced you are in pursuing clean renewable energy,” the US Secretary remarked.

“I want the world to know that the US is partnering with you because we are betting on Abu Dhabi and the UAE. We are betting that this incredible Masdar investment is going to pay off, and when it pays off, it will not only mean a better life for the people of this country and region, it will have ripple effects throughout the world,” she added.

Following a guided tour of the facilities at Masdar City, Clinton was officially welcomed by Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, CEO and managing director of Masdar.

Dr Al Jaber said he looked forward to further strengthening its relationship with the US by working together to address the challenges of delivering viable, scalable clean energy to the world.

“Clinton’s visit to Masdar is a testament to the strength of this relationship and our leadership’s commitment to the development of renewable energy and climate change mitigation,” he added.

At Masdar City, Clinton was able to see firsthand the innovations, progress and momentum building at Masdar, made possible by global collaboration.

'One such example was Clinton’s visit to Masdar’s advanced concentrated solar power (CSP) “Solar Beam Down” project, a joint venture between Masdar, Cosmo-Oil of Japan and the Tokyo Institute of Technology. The innovative “beam down” technology is an example of the global collaborative research conducted at Masdar,' said Al Jaber.

Visiting the Masdar Institute campus, a graduate level institution established in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clinton was also shown the sustainable facilities that have been designed to improve both the living and working experience of the students and faculty through smart, energy efficient and high performance building design.

“I express my gratitude to the people of the UAE for being innovative, creative and at the same time very practical about how you intend to achieve your goals,” Clinton said in a speech at the campus.

“We are proud to be your partner and we are looking forward to achieving real progress for your citizens and the world at large,” she added.

Dr Al Jaber recognised the significance of Clinton’s visit, particularly as Abu Dhabi prepares to host the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) next week.

WFES is a global platform for open dialogue between political and industry leaders, international policy makers, investors and experts from across the renewable energy and clean technology sector.-TradeArabia News Service