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Question Numbers: 191-195
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow-
Think about energy generation in the Middle East and you probably think of oil. But, in fact, the region is at the forefront of the race to decarbonise energy production. Why is the oil-rich Middle East, which still generates most of its electricity from fossil fuels, becoming so keen on green alternatives? The plain fact is that leaders are facing up to climate change and the world’s shift towards renewables. The world’s biggest solar plant has come up at the Noor Abu Dhabi. At 1,177 MW, it has double the capacity of the previous record holder, the 550 MW Desert Sunlight solar farm in California.
In a rare interview, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, appeared to embrace the change. “In 50 years, when we might have the last barrel of oil... I can tell you we will celebrate that moment,” he said. The region has high levels of sunshine, making solar an attractive solution. But Dubai has also commissioned the development of a hydroelectric power plant at the Hatta Dam in the Hajar Mountains. Solar energy will be used to pump water to a high-level reservoir during off-peak times, and stored water will be released to power the hydroelectric plant during the peaks.
The UAE is channelling its considerable oil revenues into alternative energy. By 2030, it plans to spend $160 billion on renewables, with the declared aim of generating two-thirds of its electricity from carbon-free sources by the middle of the century. This ambitious target – among the most challenging in the region – has also been driven by concerns about climate change. The low-lying coastal cities of the UAE are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Last year, the World Economic Forum published a whitepaper calling for the removal of regulatory obstacles to increased innovation in sustainable energy generation. With two-thirds of greenhouse gases created by energy generation, the whitepaper suggested progress was currently too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow-
Think about energy generation in the Middle East and you probably think of oil. But, in fact, the region is at the forefront of the race to decarbonise energy production. Why is the oil-rich Middle East, which still generates most of its electricity from fossil fuels, becoming so keen on green alternatives? The plain fact is that leaders are facing up to climate change and the world’s shift towards renewables. The world’s biggest solar plant has come up at the Noor Abu Dhabi. At 1,177 MW, it has double the capacity of the previous record holder, the 550 MW Desert Sunlight solar farm in California.
In a rare interview, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, appeared to embrace the change. “In 50 years, when we might have the last barrel of oil... I can tell you we will celebrate that moment,” he said. The region has high levels of sunshine, making solar an attractive solution. But Dubai has also commissioned the development of a hydroelectric power plant at the Hatta Dam in the Hajar Mountains. Solar energy will be used to pump water to a high-level reservoir during off-peak times, and stored water will be released to power the hydroelectric plant during the peaks.
The UAE is channelling its considerable oil revenues into alternative energy. By 2030, it plans to spend $160 billion on renewables, with the declared aim of generating two-thirds of its electricity from carbon-free sources by the middle of the century. This ambitious target – among the most challenging in the region – has also been driven by concerns about climate change. The low-lying coastal cities of the UAE are particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.
Last year, the World Economic Forum published a whitepaper calling for the removal of regulatory obstacles to increased innovation in sustainable energy generation. With two-thirds of greenhouse gases created by energy generation, the whitepaper suggested progress was currently too slow to avoid catastrophic climate change.
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