Research institutions, policymakers, and utilities from the six GCC countries convened for the first time to identify collaboration opportunities in resource mapping activities and discuss renewable energy plans, especially sharing past experiences and requirements in resource assessment, at a workshop in Abu Dhabi.

During the workshop titled 'Renewable energy assessment in the GCC: Networking competencies', IRENA introduced the Global Renewable Energy Atlas, which is set to become the world's most comprehensive source of information on renewable energy assessments, including those for the GCC countries.

The workshop was co-organized by the Directorate of Energy and Climate Change at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA-DECC), the Abu Dhabi-headquartered International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology's Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment.

In addition to officials from King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy (KACARE) in Saudi Arabia, other participating GCC officials represented organizations such as Abu Dhabi Water Electricity Authority (ADWEA), UAE National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS), Gulf Research Center, The Oman Research Council, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman's Meteorological Office-Civil Aviation, Qatar National Food Security Program, Qatar Environment Energy Research Institute, Ministry of Energy and Industry (Qatar Petroleum), National Electricity and Water Research Centre (NEWRC), and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research.

Dr. Thani Al Zeyoudi, Director of MoFA-DECC, said: "The UAE's energy mix will have a sizeable portion of power supply from renewable sources and the official releasing of the Solar Atlas at the Rio+20 Summit strongly reinforces this commitment. The first-ever meeting of GCC policy experts in Abu Dhabi also validates the region's intention to adopt clean energy as a key component in the energy policy. We are confident the outcome of the workshop will be assessed by individual GCC members while implementing sustainable measures for their social and economic progress." Gauri Singh, Director of Knowledge Management and Technology Cooperation at IRENA, said: " The Global Renewable Energy Atlas that is being unveiled here today marks another significant step that we believe will benefit all stakeholders. The workshop in Abu Dhabi is part of our efforts towards knowledge sharing, enabling policies and enhanced capacity, as well as the encouragement of investment flows and strengthened technology and innovation. " Dr Steve Griffiths, Executive Director, Institute Initiatives, Masdar Institute, said: " The workshop at Masdar Institute highlighted the need for greater collaborations among the GCC countries and we believe the discussions will lead to productive results over the coming months." The GCC has initiated several renewable energy projects. Some of the major solar thermal plants in the pipeline include the 100 MW Shams-1 in Abu Dhabi, a 60MW integrated solar combined cycle in Kuwait and a 200MW CSP plant in Oman.

Dr. Hosni Ghedira, Director, UAE Research Center for Renewable Energy Mapping and Assessment, Masdar Institute, said: "Accurate mapping of renewable energy resources using adapted tools for the GCC's climate will be critical to the success of the GCC energy sector. " The UAE Solar Atlas, supported by the country's leadership, is expected to encourage other countries in the region to implement renewable energy projects.