General Electric turns Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City into appliance laboratory
Abu Dhabi has been drumming up publicity for its planned carbon-neutral, zero-waste community and research complex, Masdar City, recently — last week airing intentions to raise $600 million to start construction in earnest. Now it says it’s partnering with General Electric to test the conglomerate’s so-called smart appliances, ranging from refrigerators to clothes dryers capable of communicating energy use data and running at off-peak times.
GE has signed on for a two-year pilot project to install… Continue Reading
Abu Dhabi looks to raise $600M for renewable energy hub, Masdar City
Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s state-owned energy company, announced over the weekend that it will be raising between $300 and $600 million to start construction on Masdar City, the massive planned hub for cleantech research and innovation, especially in the renewable energy sector. As its name suggests, the development will also be a zero-carbon, zero-waste city for about 50,000 residents, the government in the United Arab Emirates capital claims.
Today, the company followed up with more news that… Continue Reading
Personal rapid transit gets another chance at life
Beneath the tall buildings and alleys of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, in a hidden, vault-like space, a unique transportation system may one day whisk passengers back and forth to their destinations, faster than any bus system and more accurately than rail. Instead, it will use small, driverless pods that bear as much resemblance to taxis as public transit.
The scheme is called personal rapid transit (PRT), and it’s an idea that’s been floating around for over… Continue Reading