His Excellency Eng Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI), today launched two initiatives that will inform efforts toward increasing local clean energy capacity and uptake, in line with the UAE Energy Strategy that aims to increase the share of clean energy projects to 50% of the country’s overall energy mix by 2050.
The two initiatives include the UAE Geospatial Platform for Future Energy and the Potential for Renewable Energy Storage Uptake report.
Accompanied by His Excellency Eng Saif Ghubash, Acting Assistant Undersecretary for Petroleum, Gas, and Mineral Resources at MoEI, His Excellency Al Olama made the announcement during the Ministry’s celebration UAE Innovates 2023, the nation-wide festival organized annually in February to promote the culture of innovation in the UAE.
UAE Geospatial Platform for Future Energy
The first UAE Geospatial Platform for Future Energy aims to track and measure the progress of implementing the UAE Energy Strategy 2050 through constantly updating and analyzing data on clean energy projects across the country.
The outcomes of the Platform will inform future clean energy studies and strategies, including the updated version of the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, currently being developed.
His Excellency Eng Al Olama said: “We work relentlessly to ensure sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy supply through investing in energy sources of the future and leveraging emerging technologies. In 2021, our clean energy capacity accounted for 19.63% of the total energy mix, an impressive increase compared to 5.84% in 2019. We will continue to raise the bar high and set new goals for ourselves as we accelerate our path to net zero.”
He noted that the Platform is the result of joint efforts of energy stakeholders in the UAE that share a common objective of reducing carbon emissions through clean energy.
Potential for Renewable Energy Storage Uptake report
His Excellency Eng Al Olama also announced the launch of phase one of the ‘Enabling the UAE’s Energy Transition: Potential for Renewable Energy Storage Uptake’ report. Developed jointly by MoEI and its strategic partners, the report provides valuable insights into the technical and economic potential of storage technologies in the UAE power grid to understand how energy storage can drive the energy transition and support renewable energy deployment in the country with a focus on technology, the market, R&D, and finance.
He said: “In a world pursuing net zero, power storage solutions are essential to enable energy transition and ensure a reliable supply of energy when needed. The report will inform decision makers within the Ministry and across the energy sector on the next steps to increase energy storage to scale up the deployment of renewable energy in the UAE, in line with the objectives of the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative.”
The report draws on extensive research and engagement with various stakeholders in the UAE, including utilities, government entities, academia, and the private sector. Specifically, it explores thermal, chemical, electrochemical, and mechanical energy storage solutions that have great potential to increase the local uptake of renewable energy.