Helene Pelosse: They did a tremendous job and had a great campaign. They just deserved to win.
I think the situation is mixed in the Emirates. On the one side you have the highest carbon footprint in the world, but on the other side you have a commitment to reach 7 per cent renewable energy in 2020. That's a first move. And there's a unique commitment with Masdar City. A city that is going to be zero carbon emissions could be a model for the future.
Do you think a 7 per cent target by 2020 is realistic?
I think it's feasible. For example, in Europe we're at 10 per cent already and we are supposed to move to 20 per cent [by 2020], which is 10 per cent more, so I think it's feasible. It's ambitious but it's feasible.
Do you think having Irena's technology centre based in Bonn could be a hurdle in its work?
No. The way the compromise was made was that that's additional money from Germany, and you will still have a German contribution to Irena's budget. So there's going to be more money available from Germany.
Of course, the UAE can have its own technology centre too. There is no objection. In the compromise, other technology centres would be welcomed. As director general I can't be opposed to more money and investment in renewables. I think it's great.
What your role is going to be as director-general of Irena?
Firstly to set up the agency as we are starting from scratch. Right now we have a building there& I need to recruit the team and run the whole organisation, so it's going to take some time. My role will be based on the roadmap [members] discussed together: policy advice to countries, capacity building, technology transfer and management of knowledge.
How do you think housing Irena in the UAE will affect the country and the region? Would it encourage other regional states to come on board?
It's symbolic that it's located in the Emirates. The Emirates is leading the movement [in the region] but I think the others might join them pretty soon, because the sun is going to be tomorrow's oil. We have 40 years of reserve of oil [globally] so we need to prepare for the future.
It's up to regional states to decide whether they want [to join] but if you look at Irena, we have lots of oil [producing] countries& they would not have joined Irena if they didn't think it's going to be the future, so I'm pretty confident.
Is it going to be part of Irena's role to make the case for renewable energy to oil-producing states? How do you convince states that have seven to ten decades of oil reserves left and are reluctant about renewable energy, especially considering how expensive the technology is?
Well firstly the cost is going to come down tremendously, so I think it won't be an issue any more within a few years. And second, we can start a dialogue, but of course it's up to them to make the move. Irena can talk to any country.
What are some of the ways regional states can make use of renewable energy? What advantages do we have over other states in this field?
Of course, solar power is going to be the main one for the Gulf region. There might be some wind too. Biomass is obviously going to be very limited. But what [the region] also has, which I think is a great advantage, is space; desert. That's fantastic. If you're starting to build some plants you need a lot of space, whether PV (photovoltaic) or concentrated solar energy, so it's a unique opportunity for the region to build huge capacity.
Let's take the example of France. It's very difficult to build concentrated solar plants in France because we have a space issue. You cannot build them in any part of the world. You need special weather. The Gulf region is just blessed from God with that.
Do you think the UAE could some day start to export renewable energy, and is it feasible to do so?
Of course. At some point we're not going to be exporting oil any more, and will move towards renewables only. We are probably going to stop exporting oil before it is over because we'll be transitioning to a new model. Gulf countries have a unique location to build up the plants and export renewable energy world wide.
The technology to export is there. You just need HVDC (high-voltage, direct current) lines and they are not that expensive. [Gulf] countries have the financial resources too; if they want to invest in that, it is possible.
For example, in China they are transporting electricity over thousands of kilometres. If it's feasible there, why shouldn't it be feasible in this part of the world?
Biomass has been controversial because of the number of farms that are moving from food agriculture to fuel agriculture that could increase food prices and contribute to hunger. Do you think there is a need to regulate biofuel use?
We really need to be serious about biomass. There was a time when we said biomass and biofuel could be a useful answer [to environmental preservation]. We didn't really think about the indirect effect or the kind competition between [food] and biofuel. But now we know that there is this issue and we have seen the price of [food] rise around the world. Now we're going to be way more cautious.
For example, if you go for second generation biofuels, and not the first, that's an answer.
We need to make sure to use and recycle all the [crop] waste. After the food item of a plant is taken out the rest can be used as biomass.
You have suggested a 20 per cent renewable energy target for EU by 2020. Would you make similar suggestions to the Gulf states? And do you see Gulf states introducing carbon taxes?
Twenty per cent for the Gulf states wouldn't be realistic, but why not? It would be a terrific idea. You could have a cooperative agreement in [the GCC] to export all the potential of the desert because you have lots of space there, so that could be very well used for exportation.
As for carbon taxes. Today we only have one country, Sweden, which has introduced a carbon tax so far. It has an energy mix of 39 per cent renewable and is committed to 49 per cent in 2020. So we'll see if that's going to happen. Inshallah [God willing].
Do you think we'll see a full global transition to renewable energy in our lifetimes?
Yes, within 20 or 30 years, for the next generation, we are going to be very far ahead, and the process might be speeded up. So I'm pretty confident.
How would you explain renewable energy to the average person?
It's energy from mother nature. Wind, sun, waves, rivers. You have to grab it and harness it and it's going to always be renewed so you don't have to worry about it being over one day. It's important because the world population is growing and when countries are developing you need energy for infrastructure and agriculture.
If everybody wants to achieve a good level of development we need energy and there won't be energy available only with fossil fuels. With renewable energy we have a chance to achieve that. It's our only chance.
How much have we progressed as a global community to understanding and appreciating renewable energy?
We have gone a huge path on that. I would say that five years ago it would have been more difficult but now every body knows that it's going to be part of the solution and more and more countries are going for that, but some countries just don't know how to get started, so that's where Irena could help.
Wealth of experience
Helene Pelosse of France, elected as the interim director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency by its member states, will be taking up the post at Abu Dhabi's Masdar City soon.
The deputy head of staff for international affairs in the office of France's Minister of State in charge of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Town and Country Planning, Pelosse has been involved in proposing EU legislation as well as drawing and negotiating EU plans on renewable energy.
Pelosse also played an integral part in formulating a binding EU objective to reach a target of 20 per cent renewable energy in energy consumption by 2020 for the bloc.
She served as a private adviser in German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office during the German presidency of the EU in the Department for European Affairs, where she helped adopt EU political objectives on energy efficiency, renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Pelosse speaks French, English, German, Spanish and Italian, and has worked in the US, Germany and Argentina, besides France.
She holds a masters degree in public law and a diploma in history, both from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences-Po) in Paris, and is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale d'Administration.
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