Research Matters

In the recently held Research Outcome Seminar, “Hydrogen, the Energy Carrier of the Future,” Mr. Omran Al-Kuwari, CEO of Qatar Foundation International, delivered a keynote focusing on hydrogen and opportunities for the LNG industry. In this edition of Research Matters, we feature the speech of Mr. Al-Kuwari, who is also a doctoral researcher at University College London’s Institute for Sustainable Resources, to learn more about Qatar’s role in driving the hydrogen agenda forward.

Qatar’s geographical positioning makes it an ideal location for harnessing solar power. In 2020, Doha received around ten hours of sunlight daily, with June being the sunniest month averaging more than twelve hours of sunlight a day. To capitalize on this, the government of Qatar has set an objective to meet 20% of its energy needs through solar power by 2030 which will reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons and consequently, reduce its carbon footprint.

Qatar faces various environmental challenges, caused in part by a high carbon footprint due to its huge hydrocarbon energy production industry. Responding to this, the government has launched several initiatives to lower its carbon footprint and ensure sustainable development practices are promoted to help the country transition towards a sustainable and diversified economy.

Over the past few years, Qatar has made remarkable progress in improving its food security and building local food production systems. On the research side, several initiatives have been launched to deal with different themes related to food security ranging from aquaculture to innovative technologies to improve the health of animals.