Abstract :
The oil-rich monarchs\´ ambitions for solar power will be tough to achieve. Solar power in the Middle East seems simultaneously logical (sun-scorched deserts everywhere) and illogical (all that oil!). That contradiction lay just under the surface in March as United Arab Emirates president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan flipped the ceremonial switch to ramp up the new Shams 1 solar thermal power plant toward its 100-megawatt capacity. The U.A.E. is at the head of the renewable energy pack in the region, but several of the "Gulf monarchies," all major contributors to the world\´s oil supplies, are starting to set goals to cut back on consuming the hydrocarbons they produce in favor of sustainable, climate-friendly energy sources. Are they really going to leave some of that black gold in the ground forever? Or are projects like the US $600 million Shams 1 just shiny distractions in a plan to push oil profits farther into the future?
