Desert Prince beats Obama

SUBHEAD: Abu Dhabi's crown prince installs solar panels on his roof, beats White House to the punch.  

By Brian Merchant on 31 January 2012 for TreeHugger -  
(http://www.treehugger.com/renewable-energy/abu-dhabis-crown-prince-installs-solar-panels-his-roof-beats-white-house-punch.html)

 
Image above: President Jimmy Carter presenting solar (hot water) panels on White House in 1976. They were removed by Reagan and refused by Obama when offered by Bill McKibben. From (http://arttattler.com/commentaryoutofgas.html).

 
The oil-rich emirate of Abu Dhabi is vying to become a leader in the clean energy industry. So it's no surprise that its leader, the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is engaging in such symbolic displays as installing solar panels on the roof of his Court. What is a little surprising is that he beat out the White House in doing so.

If you'll recall, the Obama administration made a pledge to install solar panels on the White House roof over a year ago now—but so far, nada.

So perhaps this news will light a proverbial fire under its you-know-what to get things moving. Here's Construction Week Online (via Green Prophet):
The Court of HH Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has been equipped with solar power, the company behind the installation said on Tuesday.
The Gulf International Trading Group said it had completed the installation of photovoltaic panels on the roof of the building in record time and successfully linked the project to Abu Dhabi’s Department of Electricity and Water Authority’s main generator.
The project was completed with the guidance of Masdar, Abu Dhabi's clean energy company. And of course, 350.org, the Bill McKibben-led group that spearheaded the effort to get solar panels back on the White House, is all over this:
"the crown prince of the oil-rich gulf state of Abu Dhabi has beaten Obama to the punch and installed a solar array in record-time on the roof of his court. Not only are these photovoltaics fully operational, but the electricity they produce also feed into Abu Dhabi's national grid ... If oil-rich Abu Dhabi can symbolically commit to renewable energy, one is left to wonder why the White House cannot follow through with its promise?
Obama spoke out in support of clean energy in his recent State of the Union Address. Perhaps he'd like to follow the crown prince's lead and put his money where his mouth is?

See also:
Ea O Ka Aina: Obama rebuffs McKibbon 9/11/10

Ea O Ka Aina: Green Citadel in the Desert 9/25/10 .

1 comment :

János Samu said...

If oil-rich Abu Dhabi can symbolically commit to renewable energy, one is left to wonder why the White House cannot follow through with its promise?

Because they would have to borrow money for it from China.
János Keoni Samu

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