GCC Countries Look to Renewables to Avoid Energy Import Dependence

Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--According to the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Renewable Energy Readiness Index, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) led in readiness with a score of 4.75 out of 7.0, followed by Saudi Arabia with a score of 4.6.

In terms of renewable resources, however, it was a different story. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman led with scores of 5.6, 5.5, 5.3 and 5.2, respectively. Because of their lower wind resources, the UAE and Egypt followed with scores of 4.7 and 4.55, respectively, for resources.

The GCC-wide study comes from a collaboration between the GCC consortium on clean energy and the European Union (EU)-GCC clean energy network that aims to respond to the common interests of stakeholders in the two regions.

"The report identifies areas that need to be strengthened and spells out measures to be implemented in the GCC region," said Dr. Scott Kennedy, dean of research and associate professor of engineering systems and management at the Masdar Institute. "Such a study offers an avenue for governments across the region to channel their resources and lay the foundations for large-scale deployment of renewable energy. We firmly believe the report will quicken the pace of clean energy adoption in the region."

The renewable energy readiness assessment framework has been developed by identifying the dominant barriers and supporting mechanisms for the deployment of renewable energy technologies (RETs), followed by creating quantitative factors to rate their intensity. The factors are organized according to three pillars: infrastructure, institution and human capital. Each factor is assigned a weight and a score between one and seven, with seven being the highest readiness.

The GCC is trying to avoid becoming an energy importer in the near term and to reduce domestic fossil fuel consumption by encouraging the application of RETs. By doing this, the region will increase its oil and gas export revenue potential.

The Masdar Institute (Abu Dhabi) has an established on-going collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With its world-class faculty and top-tier students, the Masdar Institute is committed to finding solutions to the challenges of clean energy and climate change through education and research.

For related information, see January 11, 2013, article - GCC Going Big and Long-Term on Renewable Energy

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