What we're doing right
Sun city
2nd February 2008
Abu Dhabi is building a new solar-power plant to power the city of Masdar, with 80 per cent of roofs covered in solar panels
One of the most oil-rich countries on Earth is about to build the world’s first sustainable city. The United Arab Emirates is starting construction on Masdar, just outside Abu Dhabi, designed by British architect Lord Foster. The city will house up to 50,000 people, be car-free, produce no waste and no carbon and run almost entirely on sunlight. A new solar-power plant is being built, with 80 per cent of roofs covered in solar panels.
Abu Dhabi is the richest city in the world, sitting on about 100 billion barrels of oil, and has the planet’s largest carbon footprint. Some critics see Masdar as a public-relations exercise: Although the eco-town will cost billions, the city still pumps trillions into fossil fuels.
Abu Dhabi is investing half a billion dollars into manufacturing the solar panels, which in the long run will make the city a global centre for solar technology and facilitate the development of better photovoltaic panels for the whole planet to use.
Published in The Green Report in The Globe and Mail
Leave a comment
Comments are moderated. It may take a day or two for your comment to appear.