Abu Dhabi: Developing new, unconventional, sustainable, and renewable energy resources is one of the key solutions to the current challenges facing the world, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Culture, Youth, and Social Development said on Tuesday.
“We are beginning to see change. About 20 per cent of the world’s energy now comes from renewable energy. However, the current use of renewable energy is still far too limited in spite of its vast potential,” Al Nahyan said in his speech at the KPMG 3rd GCC Energy Conference in the capital.
Speaking on the subject “Unconventional — Shaping the Future of GCC Energy?”, Al Nahyan said the obstacles to development and implementation of alternative energy resources remain daunting. “Some of those obstacles are technological limitations, lengthy permitting procedures, import tariffs, technical barriers, insecure financing, and insufficient awareness of the opportunities for renewable energy,” Al Nahyan added.
He said while the UAE is blessed with plentiful oil resources, it also has “nearly unlimited solar energy and inexhaustible wind that we can convert to renewable energy sources for our country.”
“We are in a position to pioneer the technologies that might assist other countries in developing their own renewable energy resources. In fact, one of the world’s most unconventional initiatives in this field is developing right here in Abu Dhabi,” Al Nahyan noted.
He said Abu Dhabi intends to demonstrate to the rest of the world a way to gain energy and resource efficiency. “Therefore, we have Masdar City, a carbon-neutral urban site on six square kilometres that will house hundreds of companies, a research institute, and 40,000 residents and will accommodate 50,000 commuters.”
“In Abu Dhabi you will find the permanent headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency known as IRENA. IRENA seeks to promote the widespread and increased adoption and the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy. Through our active engagement with IRENA, our country will be closely linked to the international research and development activities required to develop the needed new energy technologies,” Al Nahyan added.
