Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2022 brought the world together in January to discuss key issues in sustainable development. Clean technology (cleantech) and renewables were high on the agenda, and several exciting major deals in renewables and cleantech have been announced since.

• Fertiglobe, Masdar and Engie sign hydrogen deal
• Masdar to explore Japan offshore wind scheme

Since I’ve been living here, it’s been fascinating to watch the UAE increasingly investing in renewables, including solar energy. The UAE has said it will invest $163bn in renewable energy by 2050 to achieve its net-zero target and will host Cop28 next year. It is also home to the largest solar park in the world, the Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (MBR) Solar Park, which has lowered the cost of solar power worldwide.

Projects such as these are key in establishing a cleantech industry locally. In particular, they play a role in facilitating a green hydrogen industry, as local renewable energy production is an essential component of ensuring clean sources of hydrogen.

With 90 per cent of the world’s hydrogen already coming from the global oil and gas industry, the UAE is not the only Gulf country eyeing up the potential of this market.

Carbon-zero city Neom in Saudi Arabia has a $5bn green hydrogen project in the pipeline and Oman wants its economy to be hydrogen-centric by 2040, with a $30bn project to produce 30GW of green and blue hydrogen. However, there is still a long road ahead in transitioning from blue hydrogen, a less environmentally friendly version, to green.

Taking cleantech to the world

What I find fascinating is that the plan isn’t to keep all these gains at home. Gulf countries are keen to become clean energy exporters to meet the growing global energy demand. 

As fossil fuel producers, they can capitalise on their existing infrastructure for energy transport, workers familiar with producing and handling energy fuels and gases, and longstanding energy trade ties. The UAE, in particular, is hoping to acquire 25 per cent of the international hydrogen market by 2030 and is already in talks with multiple countries to export it.

With the UAE aiming to become a global innovation hub, cleantech leaders such as New Zealand are accelerating efforts to bring our world-leading cleantech solutions to the region.

Cleantech leaders internationally take note

New Zealand is already a leading country in cleantech and renewables. Renewable energy sources such as hydro, wind and geothermal power plants account for 84 per cent of the country's electricity generation and Kiwis export a range of cleantech solutions to countries around the world.

The New Zealand government has long recognised the critical role cleantech plays in achieving a zero-carbon, climate-resilient future. Our government aims for New Zealand to be among the top 10 countries on the Cleantech Group Innovation Index (CGII) in 2022, up from its current ranking of 22nd.

But it’s not just about government. In recent years, Kiwi startups have developed brilliant solutions in wireless electricity transmission, e-waste and wastewater recycling, decarbonisation and green hydrogen that we know could benefit this region.

Many of our companies are looking at the UAE and see a rapidly developing global hub for tech and innovation. Emrod – which provides cutting-edge wireless energy transmission technology and was the first runner-up at the Middle East Energy Startup competition last year – has identified great capital raising and market opportunities as well as good support channels for companies from New Zealand looking to set up in the UAE.

What I find fascinating is that the plan isn’t to keep all these gains at home. Gulf countries are keen to become clean energy exporters, to meet the growing global energy demand
Kevin McKenna, New Zealand trade commissioner to the UAE, Qatar and the Levant and consul general to Dubai

CarbonClick, which already works in the UAE with Etihad Airways, appreciates that the UAE brings together a diverse blend of investors, particularly from the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia, making it easy to compare many different types of investors and align with similar businesses on a mission to transform the aviation and transport industries.

The firm uses certified Gold Standard offsets to reduce the climate impact of aviation through ethical, fully traceable reforestation and renewable energy projects, to develop their voluntary guest offset programme.

Meanwhile, Aquafortus technology is used to recover clean water and resources from wastewater containing high salinity levels.

We also see an opportunity for companies operating at the cutting-edge of the waste-to-energy movement, such as Mint Innovation. Mint Innovation sees the UAE, with its willingness to test out new technologies, and early adoption of strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, as an attractive market for many cleantech companies – particularly for waste-to-energy or waste-to-value solutions.

Bringing some of these companies to ADSW – a unique forum where business and government can connect to explore and find solutions to the climate crisis – was exciting for us. It was the biggest representation New Zealand has had to date and one that I know Kiwi companies are keen to contribute to in coming years as the UAE and Gulf countries continue to transition towards a greener future.