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Middle East revolutions ushering in a new chapter for renewable energy?

Initiatives such as Desertec offer a possibility for how the international community might start a new energy chapter with the Middle East, one that provides a renewable energy source, creates jobs, and increases potable water.

Renewable Energy and the Middle East Revolutions, corporate social responsibility – Forbes. Feb. 22 2011 – by Avril David As protesters across the Middle East continue their fight for democracy and liberation, speculators have drawn attention to the inevitable impact of this instability and change on the oil and gas sector, in oil price spikes. Looking at these two trends—calls for democratic empowerment and spiking oil prices—it seems that we could be nearing the time for seriously putting the renewable energy discussion (and renewable energy partnerships) back on the table.
On January 17 at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called for a “global clean energy revolution,” saying that “investing in the green economy is not simply a luxury of the developed countries. It represents opportunity for job creation and economic growth in developing countries.”…
Initiatives such as Desertec offer a possibility for how the international community might start a new energy chapter with the Middle East, one that provides a renewable energy source, creates jobs, and increases potable water.  According to information on the Desertec website, Desertec involves “concentrated solar power” stations based in the desert that would supply energy to North Africa and the Middle East, with excess energy being distributed to European Union countries. Desalinated water produced during the solar energy production process could be distributed to Egyptian settlements, increasing the drinking water supply and improving public health; improvements in public health are widely viewed in the development community as a positive contributor to economic development. But Desertec is just one potential solution………….

Renewable Energy and the Middle East Revolutions – The CSR Blog – corporate social responsibility – Forbes

February 25, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | MIDDLE EAST, renewable