WAM Abu Dhabi, June 27th, 2012 (WAM) -- Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, recently organized a two-day workshop to highlight the importance and relevance of the applications and benefits of clean energy and smart grids under the umbrella of intelligent urban energy systems.

The workshop, was the second in a series of events on the intelligent governance of urban systems. Titled �Clean Energy and Smart Grids in the Gulf: Potential and Applications', the workshop on the first day covered smart grids, while the following day focused on clean energy.

Over 30 professionals including policy-makers, managers and academics from the region, covering expertise from the energy sector, intelligent systems, as well as policy and governance, attended the Abu Dhabi workshop.

Prof. Matthias Finger from EPFL, delivered the welcome remarks, while Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis, Engineering Systems and Management program, Masdar Institute, and Prof. Peter Armstrong, Mechanical Engineering program, Masdar Institute, spoke about �Advances in Smart Grids Research'.

They highlighted the potential benefits that smart infrastructures can bring to a hot climate arid region like the GCC. They also highlighted ongoing research at both Masdar Institute and EPFL and outlined how appropriate governance of these infrastructures can make clean and smart energy a reality.

The event aimed at facilitating the creation of a community of experts in the management and governance of intelligent urban systems in the region and beyond.

Ramiz Alaileh of the Regulation and Supervision Bureau Abu Dhabi, Bruce Smith from Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority (ADWEA), and Katarina Uherova Hasbani from Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, subsequently addressed the governance perspectives on smart grids and smart energies, highlighting the existing efforts at RSB, ADEWA, and DEWA to pilot and deploy smart metering in the region.

On the second day, Pierre Rossel of EPFL, Hannes Reinisch from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Dr. Sgouris Sgouridis offered their perspectives on �Clean Energy and the Gulf Region'.

The workshop was aimed at identifying the challenges and the opportunities regarding the transition of urban systems towards cleaner energy practices. It also explored how intelligence, in particular the active use of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), can and already does contribute to cleaner urban energy practices. Participants also discussed how the governance of such intelligent urban energy systems can and must be improved. Finally, the participants also had the opportunity to visit the concrete renewable energy applications that are being piloted and implemented at Masdar City.

WAM/ES/AM