DOHA: A scientific symposium, organised by Qatar University (QU) in cooperation with Korea University and the Korean Embassy in the country, highlighted the new energy industry and Qatari-Korean cooperation in this field, in the presence of experts, researchers and students from the two universities, as well as those interested in the fields of energy and environment.
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 cooperation 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 Corporation, spoke, 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 cooperative 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 cooperation 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 percent 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 partnerships with countries and educational institutions through the exchange of experiences and knowledge are one of the most important ways that contribute to reaching the aspired goals that help rationalize the consumption of traditional energy and enhance the utilization of alternative renewable energy sources, in order to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030, she added.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the State of Qatar HE Lee Joon-Ho commended the cooperation between his country and the State of Qatar in the field of renewable energy, noting that green energy and green transformation is the new paradigm that the world anticipates.
His Excellency expressed his confidence that Qatar and Korea will strengthen their partnership in the field of green energy.
Notably, the State of Qatar and the Republic of South Korea have strengthened their cooperation in clean and renewable energy, as they have signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding in this context in recent years.
In the past year, QatarEnergy announced signing an agreement with the South Korean Samsung C&T Corporation to implement a project of two solar power plants in Mesaieed Industrial City and Ras Laffan Industrial City.