The UAE’s minister of energy Suhail Al Mazroui has said that the country will need a blend of renewable energy initiatives and information technology to deliver its long-term sustainability targets.
The UAE has set a target of having 44% of its 2050 energy needs to be met by renewable energy, with 6% delivered by nuclear power.
Speaking at the World Future Energy Summit 2018 in Abu Dhabi, Al Mazroui discussed how IT systems would need to be used in conjunction with a range of new energy sources to deliver the best possible outcome for the country.
“It’s not only a case of using IT to initiate this long-term change,” Al Mazroui told tahawultech.com. “There are many other elements that need to be carefully considered, such as the efficiency of turbines. It’s really important that we change the existing ones, and we need to decouple water generation and desalination.”
Al Mazroui added that the UAE will continually reassess forecasts around what the country can achieve in terms of its energy usage. “Every five years we will revise the numbers based on commerciality and affordability,” he said. “The goals are ambitious, but I am confident the UAE will deliver on what it says.”
He added that by 2021, it could be possible for “27%” of the UAE’s energy needs to be met by renewable sources, and that the country could look to sell power generated by renewable resources to markets including Africa and Europe.
He also urged the country to press ahead with the transition. “The pace of change is fast, and I personally advise ministers to draw their future now, and move from talking about projects to implementing them. We’re at the beginning. You’ll see projects in thousands of megawatts help us to reach our target.”
Al Mazroui has previously highlighted the importance of investing in technology “throughout the value chain” of the UAE’s hydrocarbon industry.
