Abu Dhabi will make significant commitment to renewables

Abu Dhabi announced at a summit of world leaders on renewable energy this week that it would become the first petro-driven economy to make a significant commitment to renewables - and it is partly thanks to Prince Charles. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, has decreed that 7% of power will come from green energy sources by 2020. The Middle East nation holds around 8% of the world's oil reserves and derives the vast bulk of its national income from fossil fuels, but while other OPEC oil cartel members see renewables as a threat, it has taken a different view.

Sultan Al Jaber, chief executive of the state-owned future energy company Masdar, which will oversee the green drive, said at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi that it was natural tomove into this new sector. By doing so Masdar would "provide a comprehensive solution to the world's energy challenges and maintain Abu Dhabi's position as a leading supplier of energy to the world."