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ABU DHABI / WAM
His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, attended a lecture organised by the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed, titled ‘Green Tech Plus: Towards a Future of Sustainable Development’.
The lecture, part of celebrations to mark 40 years of diplomatic ties between the UAE and China, took place in the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed venue at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. It featured Charles Liu, Founding Director, Centre for China and the World, City University of Macau.
Over the course of the lecture, Liu examined the current state of green technology, China’s contribution in this crucial field, and explored critical issues in green tech development. He focused on green tech as a means of transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources like hydro, wind, solar, and potentially, nuclear fusion, for a sustainable future.
Last year, China’s solar and wind capacity each increased by more than 50%, Liu said. Because of the size of its domestic market, China is able to achieve economies of scale and increase its new and renewable capacity at a fraction of the cost in other countries. As a result, “solar is now cheaper than coal, and solar now costs 90% less than it did 10 years ago, thus becoming available to everyone,” he said. By 2028, it is estimated that China will contribute nearly 60% of new global renewable energy capacity, which it hopes will make green energy more affordable and widespread to the world.
Liu praised the vision of the UAE’s leadership and hoped that the Emirates, with its abundance of “deployable,” long-term capital and its leadership in AI, could work with China in accelerating the spread of green tech.
The lecture was moderated by Omar Al Hashmi, Chief Executive Officer – Transmission and Distribution, TAQA. It featured pre-recorded contributions from Khaled Al Huraimel, Group CEO and Vice Chairman, BEEAH Group; Eng Aisha Al Abdooli, Director, Green Development & Environmental Affairs Department at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Eng Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President – Business Development and Excellence, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority; and Alya Al Mazrouei, Director, UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science at the National Centre of Meteorology.
‘Green Tech Plus: Towards a Future of Sustainable Development’ will be broadcast on Saturday, 28th September at 5 pm on local TV networks and will be available to watch afterwards on the Majlis Mohamed bin Zayed YouTube channel (youtube.com/@MajlisMohamedbinZayed).