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.

IRENA Scholarship Programme

About IRENA

he International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an intergovernmental organisation

dedicated to renewable energy.

In accordance with its Statute, IRENAs 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 IRENAs homepage: www.irena.org

About Masdar Institute

asdar 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 underway 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 Institutes homepage: www.masdar.ac.ae

The development of high calibre human resources

Adnan Z. Amin
Director-General, IRENA

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-

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber

UAE Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change

and CEO of Masdar

sary experience to apply the deep expertise they are

acquiring at the Masdar Institute.

IRENA Scholarship at a Glance

n 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 IRENAs expertise in renewable energy policies, financing and technology with
Masdar Institutes 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

Benefits of Being an IRENA Scholar

RENA 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

What makes the IRENA Scholarship Programme unique?

RENA 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

Luiz Augusto Friedrich

(Brazil)

IRENA Scholar since 2011

Research topic: Energy modelling for cities Feed-in-tariff and Subsidies for the Adoption of
Rooftop Mounted PV Cells.
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 IRENAs 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 worlds energy problems.

IRENA Scholarship Programme

IRENA Lecture Programme

he 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:

Carlos Gasc Travesedo

Permanent Secretary and Advisor to the Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism, Spain

Renewable Energy in Scenarios and Implications for Policy Planning: The Worlds 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.

David Renn
President of the International Solar Energy Society
Former Principal Project Leader, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, US

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.

Sren Krohn Hansen

CEO, Sren Krohn Consulting, Denmark
Former Vice President of the European Wind Energy Association

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

Mark Fulton
Global Head of Climate Change Investment Research, Deutsche Bank Climate Change Advisors

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.

Silas Masinde Simiyu

Board Member of the International Geothermal Association
Chairman of the Geothermal Association of Kenya
Managing Director and CEO of the Geothermal Developing Company

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.
4

Application Process
Who is eligible?

he 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?

nterested students should apply for an IRENA scholarship directly through the Masdar Institutes
website. All applicants have to comply with the Institutes 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
Institutes online application form and select the appropriate box when submitting applications.
Further information is available on Masdar Institutes website: www.masdar.ac.ae/admission.html

Selection criteria

pplicants 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:

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
IRENA criteria:

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 Masters thesis in the field of renewable energy
and technology in line with IRENAs mandate.

Join us now!

he programme is now open for applications until 31 May 2013 for the academic years from 2013
to 2015. Apply online via Masdar Institues website: www.masdar.ac.ae
For further information, please contact: scholars@irena.org

Dr. Fred Moavenzadeh

President, Masdar Institute

IRENA Scholarship Programme

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 worlds 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

Abdul Mannan Rauf

(Pakistan)

IRENA Scholar since 2012

Research 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.

Charalambos Konstantinou

(Cyprus)

IRENA Scholar since 2012

Research 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.

Franklyn Kanyako

(Sierra Leone)

IRENA Scholar since 2012

Research 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.

Natalia Lorena Zurita

(Argentina)

IRENA Scholar since 2012

Research 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
IRENAs high standards.

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