DOHA: The Qatar Science & Technology Park (QSTP) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote collaboration on the development and deployment of cost-effective and sustainable energy technologies.
The agreement builds on the historically strong ties between the United States and Qatar by extending cooperation to clean energy research and development. Under the expanded partnership, the countries will exchange scientific and technical information and undertake joint research, development, and deployment initiatives that will help spur energy innovation, create new markets for clean energy and support economic growth.
The MoU was signed by US Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman and Dr Tidu Maini, the Executive Chairman of QSTP, on the sidelines of the 2011 Business and Investment in Qatar Forum in New York.
"This partnership adds a new and exciting dimension to the already strong relationship between our two nations," said US Deputy Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman.
"By bringing our scientists and engineers together to pursue joint research, we'll be able to develop the next generation of clean energy technologies more quickly.
Dr Maini, QSTP's Executive Chairman, said: "We are pleased to have this MoU, which is a part of our mission to build-up strong partnerships with reputable agencies like ARPA-E. This will offer a great opportunity to QSTP and its partners to collaborate with leading international laboratories in the United States, in technology areas that are a priority for QSTP's future development. In turn, QSTP will make available opportunities for ARPA-E to collaborate on technologies that are under development in Qatar."
DOE, principally through the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), and QSTP will pursue cooperation in five key areas including Advanced Cooling Technologies, including next-generation cooling technologies, systems integration and building controls, Renewable Power Generation and Energy Storage, including high energy density electric storage and thermal storage for combined heat and power systems.
© The Peninsula 2011
