A scientific symposium, organised by Qatar University (QU) in co-operation with Korea University and the Korean embassy in Doha, has highlighted the new energy industry and Qatari-Korean co-operation in this field. Experts, researchers and students from the two universities, as well as those interested in energy and environment attended the symposium. The symposium stemmed from the interest of QU — as a national educational institution, to discuss the challenges facing the environment and within the framework of its efforts to enhance research co-operation with prestigious regional and international universities in light of its research strategy.
The symposium, in which experts from the two universities as well as Samsung Corp have spoken, addressed topics related to clean and renewable energy solutions, with a focus on the areas of development and application of advanced hydrogen technologies in Korea and hydrogen production from seawater, in addition to other topics such as radiative cooling technologies without the use of energy and renewable energy business in the Korean corporation. Participants held an extensive panel discussion in which they stressed the importance of promoting co-operative projects to implement scientific research dealing with all aspects of harnessing and storing renewable energy, in order to enhance the efforts of countries in the transition towards sustainability in the field of energy.
The speakers in the symposium pointed out the vital role of co-operation in achieving Qatar's National Vision 2030 regarding green energy, pointing out that Korea is an active partner in Qatar's green energy transformation strategy, which aims to convert 20% of its supply from conventional energy to renewable energy by generating 5 gigawatts of solar energy by 2035. Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies at QU Dr Mariam al-Maadeed said that the shift to renewable energy has become an urgent necessity in light of the enormous environmental challenges, in addition to the challenges related to sustainability facing the world at the present time. Research solutions and collaborative partnership with countries and educational institutions through the exchange of experiences and knowledge is one of the most important ways that contribute to reaching the aspired goals that help rationalise consumption of traditional energy and enhance the utilization of alternative renewable energy sources, in order to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, she added.
For his part, Korean ambassador to Qatar Lee Joon-Ho commended the co-operation between his country and Qatar in the field of renewable energy, noting that green energy and green transformation is the new paradigm that the world anticipates. He expressed his confidence that Qatar and Korea will strengthen their partnership in the field of green energy in the future. Qatar and South Korea have strengthened their co-operation in the fields of clean and renewable energy, as they have signed several agreements and memorandums of understanding in this context in the recent years. In the past year, QatarEnergy announced signing an agreement with the South Korean Samsung C&T Corp to implement a project of two solar power plants in Mesaieed Industrial City and Ras Laffan Industrial City. (QNA)
