We must transition to renewable energy

(First published in Gulf News, January 26, 2010)

January 31, 2010

Dr. Mohamed A Raouf
Program Manager – Environment Research

There is no doubt that energy security is one of the most crucial problems facing the world today. Energy plays a central role in modern societies and, as a consequence, in global problems. One-third of greenhouse gases is caused by the use of fossil fuels. The global econ-omic crisis is linked to fluctuating energy prices. Water desalination, cooling and air conditioning all expend energy. In fact, achieving sustainable development depends on overcoming energy shortages and on using energy in a way that will have a minimal impact and a smaller carbon footprint.

The Gulf region's view on the issue of fossil energy sources, renewable energy and climate change has changed significantly in the last few years. There is a dramatic shift towards energy diversification, with more research and initiatives being launched in the field of renewable energy and a new resolve to fight climate change and play a vital role in the emissions-trading market.

In fact, almost all types of renewable energy (geothermal, wind, solar and biofuels) can be utilised in the Gulf region. One of the main sources of renewable energy for the GCC countries could be solar energy. The average direct natural exposure to sunlight in the Gulf region is about 1,800 kilowatt/hours per square metre and this makes the adoption of solar energy in the region technically and economically feasible.

In the last few years, many projects to explore renewable energy sources have been undertaken in the Gulf region, such as wind at the Trade Centre Building in Bahrain and the use of sunlight to power some reverse osmosis units in Bahrain and Oman. The latter used a photovoltaic system as well as wind energy to pump water and generate electricity.

In Saudi Arabia, solar energy is harnessed to power oil field lighting systems, advertising signs and traffic signals. Progress has also been made in the field of solar-powered cooking, solar-powered desalination, thermal and solar electricity generation and photovoltaic systems.

In the UAE, solar energy is used to power parking meters and offshore buoys as well as water heaters and air conditioners in hotels. The wind is harnessed on Sir Bani Yas island in Abu Dhabi and in Fujairah.

It is worth mentioning here that though the UAE is one of the major hydrocarbon producers and has thus managed to achieve creditable economic growth (an average annual growth rate of five per cent for 1980-2008, with GDP per capita among the highest globally), it has taken a crucial step towards diversifying energy resources and moved in the direction of clean renewable energy, especially solar, with the Masdar initiative.

UAE's contribution

This year's World Future Energy Summit was a true example of the keenness of the UAE to boost international efforts to fight climate change and transition to renewable energy especially after the climate change conference in Copenhagen disappointingly failed to deliver a legally binding agreement. In fact, Masdar has all the elements needed for success, such as a research institute, qualified people, finances and access to international experience.

In addition, the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), the world's first inter-governmental agency fully dedicated to renewable energy, is located in the UAE. It is hoped that Irena will help to co-ordinate and promote the widespread adoption of renewable energy.

Still, there is a lot to do to overcome the many obstacles facing the transition to renewable energy, including technology transfer. We hope that the region will be the exporter of such technologies in the future and initiatives such as Masdar can play a vital role in this area. It is ironic that though we have been major producers of oil and desalinated water for the past 70 years or so, most of the technology used in these fields is still imported.

More research in the field of renewable energy will help to cut costs, which is another obstacle to the adoption of such technology.

A third important obstacle is awareness, as it is clear that the majority of consumers do not care where the energy they use comes from. Much remains to be done to change the behaviour of consumers and instill in them environmental consciousness, which will ultimately benefit them, their countries and the whole world.

Last but not least, there is another area that requires a lot of work in parallel with the ongoing initiatives on renewable energy, and that is energy efficiency. It is another important element that will help to rationalise energy use and inspire local solutions that will make it easier to save more energy, money and the environment.

In addition, in the UAE we need to have more ambitious targets for the use of renewable energy. The declared target of seven per cent by this year is far below those set by many other countries worldwide. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for example, announced at the World Future Energy Summit that his country already draws 20 per cent of its energy from renewable sources and hopes to increase this to 30 per cent by 2023.