ABSTRACT
States situated along the Persian Gulf are the major oil exporting members of the Organisation for Petroleum Exporting Countries. Energy production for export and consumption has made the countries in the region among the highest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide. The Gulf countries have one of the lowest rates of petroleum production. The Gulf governments are increasingly investing in solar energy to tap the comparative advantage offered by high solar incidence in the region. Qatar Railways Company and Qatar Solar Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding to install 80MW of solar installations in its rail depot facility at Doha. The project is being sponsored and developed by Cosmos Industrial Investment Corporation, a subsidiary of First Energy Bank. The Emirate of Dubai is one of the front runners for renewable energy in the region. In April 2010, Saudi Arabia established the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy to develop nuclear power and renewable energy programmes.
