Press release: Expert stresses exploration of alternative energy sources
13/12/2011 - 04:20
The symposium, organised by the British Council, in partnership with QEERI, has brought together 26 research specialists in the field of energy from Middle East and the United Kingdom. Dr. Mohtar emphasised that with limited supply and rising cost of oil and gas, energy should be conserved with reduced dependence on one threes two sources.
Qatar and other GCC countries need to explore and use alternative sources of energy to ensure energy security in the region, said Executive Director of Qatar Environment & Energy Research Institute (QEERI) Dr. Rabi Mohtar.
Speaking on the first day of the three-day Energy Security Research Symposium on Sunday, Dr. Mohtar said, “The consumption of oil and electricity is rapidly rising in the GCC because of low prices in the domestic market.”
“Qatar and all GCC countries have enjoyed exceptional economic growth and prosperity. They have significantly contributed to the energy security in the world. This, however, came at a cost to the vulnerable ecosystem of the region. The GCC needs to take a global and comprehensive look at the energy system for a better future for energy security.
Energy portfolio, including oil, gas, renewable and alternative energy sources, needs to be designed to be site specific. Issues related to demand management, energy efficiency pricing, optimal energy production, and water and carbon footprint are more important now than ever before,” he said.
Speaking about the energy challenges for the world and the Gulf, Director of Research at Oxford University Prof. Chris Llewellyn Smith said, “Most of the remaining fossil fuels will be burnt in 100 years unless we develop a cost-competitive alternative at large scale. The only thing we can do to moderate climate change is adopting carbon capture and storage technology,” he said.
Director of British Council, Qatar, Simon Winetroube said, “I believe this symposium will lead to a number of long-lasting and fruitful collaborations between the institutions in the UK and their counterparts in the Gulf. There are enormous potential benefits from research collaboration between the Gulf countries and the UK. The benefits are equally shared by each side and, indeed, by the humanity.”
The symposium aims at reviewing recent advances, challenges and issues in the field of renewable energy in the Gulf countries.
It will also enable the formation of Gulf- UK research networks to enable collaborating universities to apply for British Council support for developing multilateral partnerships.
The meet will address the technical, social, economic and political dimensions of energy security, especially in the Gulf countries. Topics being discussed include energy policy and regulation in the GCC countries, managing energy demand and efficiency, future oil and gas markets, nuclear energy, energy storage and other renewable sources of energy.
Note to the Editors
For further information or details please contact Sherry Farzami, Project Manager- Gulf-UK research projects on sherry.farzami@ae.britishcouncil.org
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education and English and in 2010/11 we engaged face to face with 30 million people and reached 578 million. We have 6,800 staff worldwide. Our total turnover in 2010/11 was £693 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was £190 million. The remainder was generated through trading activities such as English language teaching. For every £1 of taxpayer money invested we earn £2.65 in additional income.
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