The development of renewable and alternative energy is one of the important pillars of the U.A.E.'s economic diversification strategy. Sustainability has been the key focus of UAE since time immemorial. Ancient tribes of UAE popularly known as Bedouin lived in harsh arid climate of the region  through the judicious use of natural resources, while remaining conscious of the need to preserve these resources for the sustained benefit of future generations.

The UAE aims to achieve a sustainable infrastructure for generating power through renewable alternative energy.

The energy sector plays an important role in shaping the UAE's internal and external policies. Since the discovery of oil and gas more than half a century ago, the UAE became a central player in global hydrocarbon energy market.

However, thanks to the wise leadership, the UAE has decided to diversify its energy mix in order to sustain its progress and at the same time minimise the environmental impacts that may arise from burning fuel.

In line with its commitment to renewable and alternative energy, the U.A.E. has become home to several world-class institutions in this field, such as IRENA and Masdar.

Clean energy-mix in the UAE

The UAE is the first Gulf country to start on the new energy strategy, which involves the nuclear power and solar energy in addition to natural gas, which covers the majority of the UAE's needs.

The country is looking to increase its target for power generation from clean energy to 30 per cent by 2030; it aims to achieve 25 to 30 per cent of its electricity to be generated from both nuclear and solar.

The government has committed to produce at least 7 per cent of total power generation from renewable sources by 2020.

Nuclear energy

In 2008, the UAE published its policy on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The policy is built on the most exacting standards of safety, transparency and security, making the UAE a role model for nuclear energy development worldwide. Since 2012, the UAE reached agreements with at least three countries (Argentina, Japan and Russia) on cooperation in the nuclear power sector. In addition, the UAE signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with the United States in 2009 and it is a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Solar Energy

Solar Energy is currently viewed as the most attractive renewable technology for the UAE as the country is blessed with abundant sunshine. Costs have also decreased substantially in recent years.

The UAE ranked third in the world in the production of concentrated solar power (CSP) in 2013. In 2014, roughly 140 MW of solar power was being generated in the UAE.

The solar project and solar park when completed is expected to slash carbon emissions in Dubai by more than 6.5 million tonnes of harmful CO2, helping Dubai and the UAE meets its commitment to the Paris Agreement to keep global warming temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius this century.

The benefit of using concentrated solar power is that it can be stored for 8 to 12 hours after generation, which can help power the emirate through the night. The first phase of the new CSP project should be operational by 2021.

Perhaps the most publicized demonstration of the U.A.E.?s commitment to solar energy research and development was the Solar Impulse 2 project, which was hosted by Masdar. Solar Impulse 2 is a 2,300 kilogram plane designed to fly day and night entirely on solar power generated from the 17,240 solar cells on its wings. In 2015, this plane embarked on the first ever round-the-world solar journey, departing Abu Dhabi in March 2015 and successfully returning to the U.A.E. capital in July 2016.

Wind energy

The region's first wind turbine was installed on Sir Bani Yas Island. The wind turbine, which stands 65 metres high and has three rotor blades each with a 52-metre wingspan, has a production capacity of 850 kilowatts per hour. Masdar and Abu Dhabi's Tourism Development and Investment Company (TDIC) aim to develop an onshore wind farm on this island with a capacity of up to 30 MW.

 Waste-to-energy

Waste-to-energy is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity or heat from the primary treatment of waste.

Masdar, Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company, had signed a strategic partnership agreement with Beeah to develop the UAE's waste to energy (WtE) sector. This partnership will help contribute to the UAE Government's Vision 2021 which targets, among other goals, diverting waste from landfills by 75 per cent by 2021.

Deregulation of fuel prices

Subsidies on fuel encourage higher consumption and lower conservation. Therefore, UAE government linked the price of petrol to the price of oil that will help rationalise fuel consumption and encourage the use of public transport in the long run, as well as incentivize the use of alternative fuels.

The U.A.E. has sought to harness other sources of renewable or alternative energy as well, such as clean coal, geothermal energy, and biofuels. At the beginning of the decade, the Masdar Institute formed the Sustainable Bioenergy Research Consortium which has since grown to include Takreer, Safran, and General Electric, has sought to advance research on sustainable aviation biofuels, with a focus on alternative fuels derived from halophytic (saltwater tolerant) plants.

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