Swedish-Israeli wave energy developer Eco Wave Power has won the public voting for the Global Innovation Award in the "Life Under Water" category at Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week for its solution to generate clean electricity from ocean and sea waves, the company announced Monday.
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EWP is recognized as a "Pioneering Technology" by Israel's Energy Ministry and has been designated an "Efficient Solution" by the Solar Impulse Foundation. An Eco Wave Power project in Gibraltar received funding from the European Union Regional Development Fund and from the European Commission's HORIZON2020 framework program. The company has also been given the United Nations' Climate Action Award.
Sponsored by the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the award is designed to attract innovations from around the world to the UAE. The UAE established its Ministry of Climate Change and Environment in February 2006 as the Ministry of Environment and Water. Under its redefined scope, the ministry has taken on a dual mandate, aiming to both strengthen the UAE's efforts in preserving the environment and promoting food diversity and to take part in combating climate change on the global level.
A record number of entrants applied for the 2021 award – over 1,200 candidates from 65 countries. This year, the scope of the award was expanded to include three new categories, each dedicated to a different sustainable development goal: Sustainable Cities, Responsible Consumption and Production, and Life Below Water, which Eco Wave Power won.
A total of 113 applicants from 23 countries have been chosen to proceed to the next round based on the companies' ability to present innovate solutions to pressing sustainability challenges; their alignment with the sustainability objectives of the UAE Vision 2021; and how relevant the solutions are for the UAE. Six entries have been shortlisted for the main award.
Emirati Climate Change and Environment Minister Dr. Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi said: "The UAE is firmly committed to innovation and sustainability. Innovation plays a vital role in delivering on the eight pillars of the UAE Environmental Policy. Therefore, we welcome innovators and entrepreneurs whose creativity and experience can go a long way in advancing the country's sustainable development, and the Global Innovation Award provides an ideal platform to highlight this approach."
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