Abu Dhabi - Sh. Mansour Bin Zayed.

With Sh. Hamed already having made sure in 2004/05 that the MDC and DEL projects fit in with DED's drive to diversify Abu Dhabi's economy, Sh. Mansour oversees the strategic as well as the environmental aspects of these ventures in his capacities both as a co-ordinator for the Muhammad group's initiatives and as a federal minister for UAE Presidential Affairs. Being the head of the UAE presidency, Sh. Mansour has become the chief facilitator for UAE projects of strategic importance

Within the federal Energy Ministry is a Department of Renewable Energy (DRE), this region's first-ever such an agency set up in 2003 under Sh. Mansour's supervision. Until its merger into the Energy Ministry in November 2004, the DRE used to be part of the UAE Ministry of Electricity and Water. The DRE has been charged with drawing up a national programme to assess the use of renewables, encourage their use, disseminate technologies and conduct awareness programmes. "We know that renewable energy is the future, even though we are an oil-producing country", said Saud al-Humaidan, the ministry's assistant undersecretary for technical affairs, in a press statement held in late 2004. He added: "There is no doubt we have good oil reserves, but one can't be sure how long they will last. Renewable energy should be seen not only as an alternative energy, but also as a cleaner and better option". Forecasts suggest that by 2050, up to half of the UAE's required energy will come from renewables. Solar energy, the cleanest source in environmental terms, is likely to form a large percentage. The UAE has a huge renewable energy potential. It receives more than 300 days of sunshine in a year, so solar energy is the main source. Several parts have high wind speeds as well, hence wind energy is a good option as well (see background in down4AbuDwho'sJan24-05).