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Middle East countries join IRENA, plan to lead in renewables

the energy of the future is not the energy of the past: the sun and wind, hydro and geothermal sources know no geographical boundaries and are within reach of us all.

Middle East Plan to be Leader in Renewable Energy The Energy Collective 20 Jan 2010 Away from international headlines, Saudi Arabia, the world’s leading oil producer and exporter, took a significant step towards cleaner and greenery energy this week with the announcement that it would join IRENA, the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Although it is not the first Gulf nation to join the fledgling body, the addition of the Arab and energy world heavyweight is the clearest indicator yet that the Middle East is serious about committing petrodollars to bring to market cleaner, cheaper, more accessible and renewable sources of energy for the world……….

perhaps one of the most ambitious and far-reaching projects is the Desertec transmission supergrid, backed by Jordan’s Prince Hassan Bin Talal. The grid would connect CSP and wind stations seeded across the deserts of northern Africa and the Middle East to provide Europe with up to a sixth of its electricity needs. The supergrid would also boost the region’s stressed water supplies, as the CSP plants would also serve desalination purposes………..

In the end, adding more and moneyed players to the table can only be a good thing. Investment and scale are critical to achieving grid parity and in bringing better and innovative solutions to market, and if we can lower emissions while doing it, so much the better. After all, the energy of the future is not the energy of the past: the sun and wind, hydro and geothermal sources know no geographical boundaries and are within reach of us all.

Middle East Plan to be Leader in Renewable Energy

January 20, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | climate change, MIDDLE EAST, renewable | energy efficiency, renewable energy, renewables, solar