The fifth World Future Energy Summit (WFES) ended last week in Abu Dhabi on a positive note for the UAE as a country setting examples of action towards diversification of its energy sources and its support for renewable energy.

The WFES is billed as the world's foremost event dedicated to advancing future energy, energy efficiency, and clean technologies. It was hosted by Masdar, the UAE renewable energy company, and inaugurated by General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who said, "The UAE is committed to retaining its leading role as a global energy provider through energy diversification, including the adoption of renewable energy."

The event was well attended by many world leaders, the UN Secretary General and many of his lieutenants, technical and business executives, and almost 3,000 delegates. It is indeed ironic for a leading oil and gas-producing and exporting country to vanguard such an effort. The UAE may even give prizes in 2012 for research in energy efficiency and reduction in CO2 emissions, subjects that were earlier supposed to be the domain of advanced countries.

Three objectives

The UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, selected the occasion to launch the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Initiative, setting three objectives to be achieved by 2030: universal access to modern energy services; double the rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

While the renewable energy objective may be achievable, the question of universal access may be daunting. The United Nations estimates that 1.4 billion people have no access to electricity and some 2.7 billion rely on biomass for their energy needs. Renewable energy will be welcome, but will be expensive and the energy-poor countries can hardly afford such solutions and, therefore, cheaper energy sources should be considered.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said, "China respects the independent choice made by the countries and peoples in the region and supports your efforts in developing the economy based on your resources endowment and strengths."

Obviously, he was referring to the importance of oil and gas for the Arabian Gulf countries though he stressed the importance of developing future energy and the need for innovation where "renewable energy is essential for our societies".

In contrast, South Korean Premier Kim Hwang-sik emphasised accelerating the worldwide spread of renewable energy and the replacement of fossil fuels, a very inappropriate aim to be raised in an oil-producing country. South Korea aims to generate 11 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2030.

The Premier pointed out that Korea "aims to strengthen its new and renewable energy sectors amid expectations that such sectors would export $40 billion (Dh146.91 billion) in 2015 compared with $4.6 billion in 2009." He added, "To distribute renewable energy to the world, active financial support and technology transfers from developed countries to their developing counterparts are required."

The UAE's drive for renewable energy is to establish the base of knowledge and experience necessary for success. Any success here or in other oil-producing countries will make more oil and gas available to the rest of the world. But, this should not be misinterpreted in a way to make the summit smack of anti-oil and gas in the name of energy security.

Combating energy poverty is indeed a global responsibility. The Opec World Oil Outlook states that assistance provided by Opec countries "to other developing countries, directly through their own aid institutions as well as through the Opec Fund for International Development," is "close to $350 billion in the period 1973-2010."

As an oilman, I have always believed in the importance of renewable energy and its potential contribution to the conservation of oil and gas resources. But, let us not make it the cure of all our energy problems because it is not.

 

The writer is former head of the Energy Studies Department at the Opec Secretariat in Vienna.