one part oil cartel = green
Abu Dhabi
In a surprise move, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi announced it would move towards alternative energy sources by committing to a goal that 7% of its energy would be ‘green’ by 2020. This greatly differs from the rest of the OPEC cartel that sees renewable energy as threat to its income.
The announcement was made at the World Future Energy Summit which is being held in Abu Dhabi this year. It is felt, by the country’s leaders, that by doing so they would “provide a comprehensive solution to the world’s energy challenges and maintain Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading supplier of energy to the world.”
Who is to thank for this: Prince Charles. He has been soliciting many of the Gulf Royals and encouraging the move to alternative energies, behind the scenes. He is also a patron to the Masdar City project which aims to build the world’s first carbon-neutral city in Abu Dhabi.
The country expects to achieve its goals through solar power, but will look at all alternative energies. The country is also involved outside of itself by having contributed, financially, to the London Array wind farm that is being built in Kent, and is expected to be the largest of its kind. Additionally it is in partnership with Germany, where they are building plants to meet the demand of solar energy.
Much of this is being done by the company, Masdar. Per its wesbite it is “an expression of Abu Dhabi’s environmental and sustainability vision and aspiration. A private joint stock company, established and wholly-owned by Mubadala, Masdar is a multi-billion dollar, strategic initiative which is developing sustainable renewable energy solutions, diversifying Abu Dhabi’s economy and enhancing the Emirate’s human capital.” It goes on to say that its intent is to ensure that Abu Dhabi maintains its global leadership position in the world energy market.
This is a bold move in a region that is dominated by fossil fuel. It is probably met with disdain from other leaders, like those in Saudi Arabia, who are in the process of building the facility capable to drill the largest untapped oil field, spending billions to keep the American oil machine going.
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Michael on Tue, 20th Jan 2009 9:00 pm
The high cost of fuel this past year did serious damage to our economy and society. After a brief reprieve gas prices are inching back up again. Our nation should not allow other nations to have such power over us and our economy . We have so much available to us in the way of technology and free sources of energy. WE seriously need to get on with becoming an energy independent nation. We are spending billions upon billions in bail out dollars. Why not spend some of those billions in getting alternative energy projects set up. We could create clean cheap energy, millions of badly needed new green jobs and lessen our dependence on foreign oil all in one fell swoop. I just read an eye opening book by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to drive and charge an electric car.If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV’s instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. Why don’t we use some of the billions in bail out money to bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil? This past year the high cost of fuel so seriously damaged our economy and society that the ripple effects will be felt for years to come. http://www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
IRENA created to support countries with renewable energy | The Golden Spiral on Thu, 5th Feb 2009 12:01 pm
[...] was reported a month back, the United Arab Emirates is taking a stand for renewable energies and stated that it joined IRENA [...]
R. Summers on Thu, 3rd Feb 2011 10:05 am
The web site I entered belongs to the M.I.T. Terrascope Project, a freshman learning alternative to classroom lecture. Among other activities, Terrascope students produce radio treatises of their experiential academics.
One item in their brief radio program archive is THE HEATED FUTURE: A TIMELY TALE, a docu-drama about three 22nd century teenagers whisked back to contemporary Abu Dhabi to witness the relative marvel of Masdar. You might care to give this 22 minute program a listen: http://web.mit.edu/terrascope/www/radio_archive.html