Abu Dhabi: Developing countries need access to superior western technologies along with technology transfers to boost their usage of renewable energy sources to help in the fight against global warming, said leaders attending the World Future Energy Summit 2010 in Abu Dhabi.
"We cannot do it on our own. For example, we would need the expertise of Iceland in geothermal energy as India targets to generate 20,000 megawatts from solar power by 2022 to meet its growing energy demands," Farouq Abdullah, India's Minister for New and Renewable Energy, said.
Hanny Sherry Ayittey, Ghana's Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, said there is no alternative to renewable energy in order to combat global warming.
"But, we have to have the right technology and it has to be commercially viable," said Ayittey.
Hassan Younus, Egypt's Minister for Electricity and Energy, said the Middle East North Africa region is a rich source of solar and wind energy.
Tadahiro Matsushita, Japan's senior minister of economy, trade and industry, said that Japanese companies are already developing new energy products.
Abdullah said by developing wind energy, solar energy and biomass, the country plans to meet the growing requirements of its billion-plus population.
"People need energy for growth and progress. At the moment, 40 per cent of the people in India are living without any access to energy sources," he added.
A look at Masdar City:
Discussions
President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan yesterday received His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in the presence of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. Shaikh Mohammad briefed Shaikh Khalifa about the results of talks he held with heads of state, governments, ministers and senior officials at the third session of the Preparatory Commission for the International Renewable Energy Agency and at the ongoing World Future Energy Summit.
General Shaikh Mohammad toured an exhibition held on the sidelines of the summit. He inspected projects displayed by (Masdar), the organiser of the summit, and visited several stands of participating companies.