96 F. AL-SULAYMAN
was described, and it is on the basis of this understanding of the way these
states function that this chapter seeks to make the case for why renewables
deployment was delayed, and then pursued differently across the member
states.
More specifically looking at climate policy in the GCC states, Depledge
described in some depth the early obstructionist attitude adopted by these
states in international forums. 3 Later work by Luomi, 4 Michaelowa and
Luomi and Al-Sarihi studied the roots of this obstructionist approach, and
the transition that took place in recent years toward a more cooperative
one 5 ; Sim looked more specifically at the case of Abu Dhabi ‘greening’ its
credentials and the start of a trend acknowledging the soft power potential
of projecting an image of sustainability. 6
Looking directly at renewable energy policy in the GCC states, Doukas
et al. were the first to study the issue in some depth in the mid-2000s, 7
assessing the renewable resources region and the rationale for development. AlNaser et al. built on this understanding with an update on
regional development, 8 and Al-Maamari et al. continued by looking at
the challenges facing adoption in the GCC states. 9 Since 2014 El-Katiri
has provided a detailed understanding of the renewable energy landscape
in her publication with Husain, 10 and more recently with colleagues in
the 2019 IRENA Renewable Energy Market Analysis: The GCC Region. 11
Yamada looked more closely at the emergence of the renewable energy
agenda with the unveiling of a new wave of Saudi development plans in
2015. 12
Perhaps most directly related to the scope of this chapter, Alatay
et al. looked at renewable energy policy variation across the GCC states,
arguing that political leadership and policy transfer explained the early
lead then established by the UAE 13 ; building on earlier work by Reiche
which looked at early renewable energy policies in the GCC states and
the opportunities and challenges facing deployment. 14
What appears to be missing in the literature is an analysis of the ‘rentier’
effect on renewables energy deployment in the GCC as they seemingly
stand on the precipice of a large-scale energy transformation. Apart from
the outlier of the UAE, there appears to now be a divergence between a
number of states, offering more data points to understand the underlying
causes.
was described, and it is on the basis of this understanding of the way these
states function that this chapter seeks to make the case for why renewables
deployment was delayed, and then pursued differently across the member
states.
More specifically looking at climate policy in the GCC states, Depledge
described in some depth the early obstructionist attitude adopted by these
states in international forums. 3 Later work by Luomi, 4 Michaelowa and
Luomi and Al-Sarihi studied the roots of this obstructionist approach, and
the transition that took place in recent years toward a more cooperative
one 5 ; Sim looked more specifically at the case of Abu Dhabi ‘greening’ its
credentials and the start of a trend acknowledging the soft power potential
of projecting an image of sustainability. 6
Looking directly at renewable energy policy in the GCC states, Doukas
et al. were the first to study the issue in some depth in the mid-2000s, 7
assessing the renewable resources region and the rationale for development. AlNaser et al. built on this understanding with an update on
regional development, 8 and Al-Maamari et al. continued by looking at
the challenges facing adoption in the GCC states. 9 Since 2014 El-Katiri
has provided a detailed understanding of the renewable energy landscape
in her publication with Husain, 10 and more recently with colleagues in
the 2019 IRENA Renewable Energy Market Analysis: The GCC Region. 11
Yamada looked more closely at the emergence of the renewable energy
agenda with the unveiling of a new wave of Saudi development plans in
2015. 12
Perhaps most directly related to the scope of this chapter, Alatay
et al. looked at renewable energy policy variation across the GCC states,
arguing that political leadership and policy transfer explained the early
lead then established by the UAE 13 ; building on earlier work by Reiche
which looked at early renewable energy policies in the GCC states and
the opportunities and challenges facing deployment. 14
What appears to be missing in the literature is an analysis of the ‘rentier’
effect on renewables energy deployment in the GCC as they seemingly
stand on the precipice of a large-scale energy transformation. Apart from
the outlier of the UAE, there appears to now be a divergence between a
number of states, offering more data points to understand the underlying
causes.