The United Arab Emirates are rich in oil, and as a result rich in pocket, yet unlike the US oil industry the Arab states understand that renewable energy is vital for the future, and are therefore using their petro dollars to invest in huge projects at the moment.
Abu Dhabi, the richest of the UAE states, has just unveiled the 100 megawatt Shams 1 concentrated solar power plant, the largest in the world.
The facility was developed by Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Investment company, Total, the French energy company, and Abengoa, the Spanish solar power company, at an estimated cost of around $750 million.