Eric Watkins
Oil Diplomacy Editor
The oil and gas industry will no doubt be interested to learn that the UAE has recently been designated as the permanent home for the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
"The UAE is honored to be the permanent home of Irena and will continue to be a strong advocate for further global collaboration and the deployment of renewable energy," said Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE's special envoy for energy and climate change. "As an international centre for renewable energy innovation, our nation will provide Irena with a solid foundation for open, multilateral dialogue and real action," Al Jaber said.
Al Jaber's remarks came last week at the first session of Irena's general assembly, which convened 800 delegates from 150 countries and was attended by more than 90 ministers.
150 signatories
In case you're unfamiliar with the organization, Irena was established in Bonn, Germany, on Jan. 26, 2009. Since then, the US and 148 other nations, along with the European Union, have signed the statute of the agency.
Under that mandate, Irena aims to promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy.
Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, Irena aims to facilitate access to all relevant renewable energy information, including technical, economic, and renewable resource potential data.
"The Irena was created to accelerate the global adoption of renewable energy," Al Jaber said at last week's session. "For the agency to live up to its promise, it must focus on delivering real, measurable results that address the critical issues we seek to address." He added, "From climate change to energy security, our members are dedicated to meaningful collaborations, and economic solutions to shift the energy mix to include renewable resources."
Long-term impact
Al Jaber said for the Irena to have a long-term impact, members must "steer away from bureaucratic dialogue and utilize this platform for an open policy discussion that will ensure that the agency remains an efficient, lean organization that heeds real results."
Al Jaber knows what he's talking about, also being the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co. (Masdar), which was established in 2006 to increase the incorporation of renewable and sustainable energy in the UAE's economy. According to the US EIA, Masdar now manages a high-tech cluster powered solely by renewable energy. The sustainable focus of Masdar City has allowed the government to market Masdar as the world's first zero-carbon city.
Even as it sits on 97.8 billion bbl of oil and produces about 2.8 million b/d, the UAE clearly recognizes the importance of a diversified approach to the production and consumption of energy.
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