IRENA Scholarship Programme

In cooperation with the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

Funded by the Government of the United Arab Emirates

For further information or to provide feedback, please contact Cornelia Marschel, IRENA, Country Support and Partnership Directorate, C67 Office Building, Khalidiyah Street, P.O. Box 236, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: scholars@irena.org.

This document is available for download at www.irena.org/Publications

Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are those of the various IRENA staff members, contributors, consultants and advisers to the IRENA Secretariat who prepared the work and do not necessarily represent the views of the International Renewable Energy Agency or its Members. The designations employed and the presentation of materials herein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the International Renewable Energy Agency concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The term "country" as used in this material also refers, as appropriate, to territories or areas.

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About IRENA

About Masdar Institute

Adnan Z. Amin

Director-General, IRENA

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al JaberUAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change and CEO of Masdar

IRENA Scholarship Programme

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to renewable energy.

In accordance with its Statute, IRENA’s objective is to “promote the widespread and increased adoption and the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy. This concerns all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner and includes bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy.

As of December 2012, the membership of IRENA comprised 159 states and the European Union (EU), out of which 103 states and the EU have ratified the Statute.

More information is available on IRENA’s homepage: www.irena.org

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the first research-based institute in the Gulf region specialising in advanced energy and sustainable technologies, policies, and systems, was created in 2009 in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Science and Technology (MIT).

It provides eight Master of Science (MSc) programmes at their campus located in Masdar City in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE):

• Chemical Engineering • Computing and Information Science • Electrical Power Engineering • Engineering Systems and Management • Materials Science and Engineering • Mechanical Engineering • Microsystems Engineering • Water and Environmental Engineering

Students and faculty dedicate considerable time to research and more than 30 projects are currently under-way including studies on smart grids, production of biogas from waste, optical fiber sensing for photovoltaic (PV) applications and modelling of wind turbine blades.

For more information, please visit Masdar Institute’s homepage: www.masdar.ac.ae

“The development of high calibre human resources dedicated to renewable energies is critical for their rapid deployment especially in developing countries. The partnership between IRENA and Masdar Institute through this scholarship programme provides a living example of concrete and effective efforts that can make a difference.”

“In continuing our commitment and support to IRENA, the UAE established a unique scholarship programme between the Masdar Institute and IRENA to promote human capital development. Through this collaboration, we support IRENA to cultivate the next generation of renewable energy innovators and leaders by providing them with the neces-sary experience to apply the deep expertise they are acquiring at the Masdar Institute.”

Luiz Augusto Friedrich (Brazil)

IRENA Scholar since 2011

Research topic: Energy modelling for cities – Feed-in-tariff and Subsidies for the Adoption ofRooftop Mounted PV Cells.

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IRENA Scholarship at a Glance

Benefits of Being an IRENA Scholar

What makes the IRENA Scholarship Programme unique?

In an effort to support promising students in their academic development towards a renewable energy career path, the IRENA Scholarship Programme awards up to 20 highly-accomplished applicants annually with scholarships for the Masdar Institute.

Applicants for the IRENA Scholarship Programme may choose from any of the eight MSc programmes offered at the Masdar Institute. The programme is open to students of all nationalities; however in case of equivalent qualification and aptitude, special consideration is given to applicants from developing countries.

The programme merges IRENA’s expertise in renewable energy policies, financing and technology with Masdar Institute’s high-level and innovative research environment. Scholars are offered the unique opportunity of drawing from this broad knowledge base in order to formulate and successfully conduct a research project on a renewable energy topic of their choice.

Scholars are in constant interaction with renewable energy experts who provide valuable input for their career orientation by broadening and deepening their understanding of the renewable energy sector.

Detailed information on the programme can be found at: www.irena.org/scholarships

IRENA Scholars will benefit from a wide range of exclusive opportunities, including:

• Full scholarship for two years • Cost of living allowance • Excellent networking potential with renewable energy professionals • Exclusive access to world-renowned renewable energy experts through the Lecture Programme • Innovative academic environment • Specialised renewable energy courses and state of the art laboratories • Multidisciplinary research approach with more than 30 projects underway • Academic programmes developed with MIT

IRENA provides its scholars with unique opportunities to access first-hand information and to maximise their networking potential through:

Direct contact between the scholars and IRENA staff related to the scholars’ chosen renewable energy research topic. IRENA supports scholars by facilitating access to contacts; data; case studies; policy, finance and technology information.

Monthly high-level and informative lectures delivered by world-renowned renewable energy experts. The Lecture Programme aims to broaden scholars’ understanding of the current policy, regulatory, financial and technology aspects of renewable energy. These lectures are available within ‘Academy’ on www.irelp.org

“Being part of the IRENA Scholarship Programme has given me the opportunity to participate in a series of lectures and discussions with high-level professionals in the field of renewable energies. These discussions have helped me not only in broadening my engineering skills and knowledge in the technical field, but also about the market and policy frameworks being analysed and implemented to increase renewable energy adoption.I was interested in the field of renewable energies even before I joined IRENA’s programme, now I have a more complete understanding of this subject and the challenges involved. I believe this will complement and help my career by tackling solutions for the world’s energy problems.”

IRENA Lecture Programme

In the coming months, IRENA will host, amongst others, the following renewable energy experts:

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The IRENA Scholarship Programme provides a Lecture Programme, designed to complement lectures received from Masdar Institute. These lectures are exclusively delivered to IRENA Scholars. Past guest speakers have included:

Renewable Energy in Scenarios and Implications for Policy Planning: The World’s energy demand is constantly growing, especially in developing countries, and even despite moves by countries to improve energy efficiency and create saving. While renewables have an important role to play in meeting this demand, proper policy and regulation planning are key to investment in renewable energy. The lecture explored a diversity of policy mechanisms and highlighted the importance of having a stable and predictable regulatory framework to attract investors.

Carlos Gascó TravesedoPermanent Secretary and Advisor to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism, Spain

The Future of Solar: The use of renewable energy technologies, particularly solar PV technologies, enjoyed a tremendous growth in the past decade. The lecture emphasised the resulting need to incorporate larger amounts of variable renewable energy into the electricity grids and discussed specific steps that utility operators can undertake to achieve this goal. Improving the ability to better forecast e.g. the production of solar technologies minutes or hours ahead is thought to be critical.

David RennéPresident of the International Solar Energy SocietyFormer Principal Project Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US

Public Private Partnerships as a Model for Promotion of Renewable Energies: The Kenyan Rift Valley has a high geothermal potential with an estimated potential of more than 15,000 MWe. Considering this high potential, geothermal energy presents a cost-effective option for electricity and heat generation in Kenya and public-private partnerships are an effective arrangement to close, for example, investment gaps as exploration of geothermal potential requires considerable upfront investments. This lecture will present a successful business plan and strategy for developing a 5,000 MWe project.

Silas Masinde SimiyuBoard Member of the International Geothermal AssociationChairman of the Geothermal Association of KenyaManaging Director and CEO of the Geothermal Developing Company

Renewable Energy Finance and Policy: The energy transition towards renewable based energy systems will require considerable investments and therefore an increased opening up of private sources of investment capital. Institutional investors, for example pension funds, are progressively viewed as a promising source for financing large-scale renewable energy assets. The lecture will display and debate required policy support and measures for building the favourable investment climate for renewable energies.

Mark FultonGlobal Head of Climate Change Investment Research, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors

Renewable Energy Potentials and Mapping: A good potential mapping is a pre-requisite for a policy framework which then attracts investments by lowering the risks. The global mapping needs to be implemented in a way that the policy makers have the requisite tools for informed decision making. The lecture focused on how the global mapping is being developed to help countries to assess the commercially viable potential of renewable energy and provide it as an input for policy decisions for making a road map for increasing the share of renewable energy in the energy mix.

Søren Krohn HansenCEO, Søren Krohn Consulting, DenmarkFormer Vice President of the European Wind Energy Association

Interested students should apply for an IRENA scholarship directly through the Masdar Institute’s website. All applicants have to comply with the Institute’s entry requirements and all required proofs and certificates must be submitted to Masdar Institute.

It is important that candidates indicate their specific interest in the IRENA Scholarship Programme on Masdar Institute’s online application form and select the appropriate box when submitting applications.

Further information is available on Masdar Institute’s website: www.masdar.ac.ae/admission.html

The programme is now open for applications until 31 May 2013 for the academic years from 2013 to 2015. Apply online via Masdar Institue’s website: www.masdar.ac.ae

For further information, please contact: scholars@irena.org

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Application Process

Join us now!

Who is eligible?

The programme caters to highly-accomplished and motivated individuals who have (nearly) completed their undergraduate degree from a college, university or technical college of acceptable standing in the field of science, engineering or information technology, and who wish to undertake a research-intensive MSc programme at Masdar Institute with a special focus on renewable energy.

How to apply?

Applicants for the IRENA Scholarship Programme must first meet the academic standards and requirements of the Masdar Institute. IRENA will then select the winning candidates from those who qualify in accordance with the below criteria.

Masdar Institute criteria:

IRENA criteria:

• Relevant undergraduate degree from a college, university or technical college of acceptable standing in the field of science, engineering or information technology • Minimum CGPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 • Competence in spoken and written English. Minimum TOEFL score of 91 (IBT) on the international TOEFL. Minimum academic IELTS score of 6.5 • Minimum GRE quantitative score of 700 (or 155 on the new scale) • Academic record and credentials must indicate the ability to achieve distinction

• Desired specialisation within the chosen MSc programme • Knowledge already acquired in the field of renewable energy • Relevant professional engagements or experience • In case of equal aptitude, priority will be given to applicants from developing countries

IRENA scholars have to pursue a research topic and to complete a Master’s thesis in the field of renewable energy and technology in line with IRENA’s mandate.

Selection criteria

Dr. Fred MoavenzadehPresident, Masdar Institute

“The collaboration between Masdar Institute and IRENA is an attestation of the commitment of the UAE and Masdar in response to the pressing issue of the world’s energy challenges. We welcome IRENA Scholars at Masdar Institute, a vibrant and creative hub in Abu Dhabi, where talented students, world-class faculty, and supportive staff are integrating technology, policy, and systems in an attempt to be part of the solution.

Get to know our IRENA Scholars

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Natalia Lorena Zurita (Argentina)IRENA Scholar since 2012Research topic: Clean Energy Vision

“IRENA represents part of a great international effort to address the sustainability challenge. I wanted to be part of the IRENA Scholarship Programme for all the benefits it brings in terms of networking opportunities and the unique learning experiences. The renewable energy sector is growing and gaining force and this process should be carried out with care. I would like to help ensure that the development of the sector will be economically viable. Being an IRENA scholar will allow me to take charge of this great responsibility while keeping up to IRENA’s high standards.”

Franklyn Kanyako (Sierra Leone)IRENA Scholar since 2012Research topic: Modelling of Wind Turbine Blades

“I am very impressed with IRENA and its work, encouraging governments to invest in renewable energy technologies and assisting private companies to find qualified skilled personnel to work in the renewable energy sector. As an African, I am particularly concerned as almost 70% of the people living in Sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity. This challenge can only be remedied by increased use of renewable energies. I am proud to be part of this undertaking as an IRENA scholar.”

Charalambos Konstantinou (Cyprus)IRENA Scholar since 2012Research topic: Investigating the Stability Impact of Large-Scale Renewable Generations

“At a time of economic uncertainty, the renewable energy industry keeps on growing, providing jobs and developing new technologies. I applied for the IRENA Scholarship Programme because it is offered by one of the most innovative and important organisations in the renewable energy sector. As an IRENA scholar I will gain the intellectual and practical experience that I need to boost my career and become a successful professional within the renewable energy field.”

Abdul Mannan Rauf (Pakistan)IRENA Scholar since 2012Research topic: Alternating Current Micro-Grid Operation, Control and Power Quality Issues

“While I was applying to Masdar Institute, I came across the IRENA Scholarship Programme. I learnt that IRENA, being an international agency, is centre stage and can act first-hand as a source allowing me to connect with renewable energy companies, to learn more about the worldwide industrial barriers to implementing large scale renewable energies. I feel honoured to be member of the IRENA family and I am sure that the experience I will gain from IRENA and Masdar Institute will help me raise awareness and pave the way for renewable energy growth in Pakistan.”

IRENA Secretariat C67 Office Building, Khalidiyah (32nd) Street P.O. Box 236, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 (0)2 417 9000 www.irena.org Copyright © IRENA 2013