Members of the Prize’s Review Committee, comprising technical and academic experts, met on 29 and 30 September to deliberate upon the most innovative solutions and technologies in renewable energy and sustainability. The shortlisted candidates have been selected in the five categories of Large Corporation, Small Medium Enterprise, Non-Governmental Organisation, Lifetime Achievement, and Global High Schools.
The two-day meeting followed an initial assessment by international research and analysis firm, Bloomberg New Energy Finance that scored candidates on the basis of the Prize’s four criteria: innovation, impact, leadership and long-term vision.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, director general of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, said: “As energy demand has nearly doubled over the past 25 years, the world has increasingly looked towards the renewable energy industry to provide the solutions and technologies it needs to harness clean energy and optimise energy efficiency.
“Improvements in energy efficiency have saved the world almost twice the total global primary energy use in 2007 alone. Identifying the solutions that define this emerging and critical industry is a challenging task. Our committees and jury oversees hundreds of applications from across the world to select the most impactful and innovative companies, individuals and schools that deserve to be rewarded for their outstanding work,” continued Dr Al Jaber.
“By funding and catalysing the most viable renewable energy technologies and sustainability solutions, the Prize honours the legacy of our founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to create a more secure future for all,” added Dr Al Jaber.
Dr. Saif Sultan Al-Nasseri, business support director, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and chairman of the Review Committee said, “It is an honour to be part of an initiative that tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time. The renewable energy industries are providing us real-life solutions to increase energy adoption and efficiency - each of the submissions we have reviewed today undertake inspirational and intelligent work. By funding these innovative technologies and solutions, the Zayed Future Energy Prize is paving the way for a more secure energy future.”
The Zayed Future Energy Prize employs a rigorous and transparent four-step selection process based on a sophisticated scoring matrix designed to ensure fair and equitable evaluation of all applicants. The online scoring pattern leads committee members through candidate summaries, stipulating scoring guidelines for every category and a detailed definition and due weightage for each of the four prize criteria. Committee members are thoroughly briefed and offered access to the secure online portal ahead of the actual meetings in order to grant adequate review time.
The shortlisted entries will next be evaluated at the meeting of the Selection Committee on 27 and 28 October. Finalists shortlisted in this round will then be presented to the Prize jury panel comprising world leaders and energy experts on 17 November for the ultimate selection of winners in each category.
Winners of the sixth edition will be announced at the Zayed Future Energy Prize awards ceremony scheduled for 20 January, 2014 as part of the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.