Saudi Arabia to Transition to 100% Renewables
By: Mat McDermott
Published: 10-19-2012
Treehugger
Through it acknowledges that it may take decades, Saudi Arabia has announced plans to transition to 100% renewable energy, The Guardian reports.
Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud touted the nation's vast solar power potential, as well as the potential for Saudi Arabia's depleted oil fields being used for carbon capture and storage projects, though mentioned no specific date being aimed for.
Which is all fine and good, but Prince Turki also mentioned something which shows a certain prescience, an important forethought, and some insight into how Saudi Arabia and other oil producing nations could still potentially profit from their oil reserves—extending the lifetime of their reserves—even after it is no longer used as the dominant method of powering vehicles:
Oil is more precious for us underground than as a fuel source. If we can get to the point where we can replace fossil fuels and use oil to produce other products that are useful, that would be very good for the world. I wish that may be in my lifetime, but I don't think it will be.
The Prince's words offer an interesting scenario to consider:
At some future time the dominant mode of generating electricity is renewable, low-carbon sources. This provides power for our homes, gadgets, many of our vehicles. Perhaps some vehicles, such as container ships and aircraft are still powered by oil or some combination of renewables, oil, and sustainably produced biofuels in limited quantities.
Published 7 months ago under The Good Life