Dear Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh, Thank you very much for asking this very important question. Thank you very much for making very important inquiries on the Research Gate portal and inspiring important discussions on particularly important issues. The issues of lobbying the oil industry to slow down energy sector reforms is one of the major problems of modern economics, specifically the issues of sustainable development with the emphasis on ecology, the impact of industry and classic energy sources on the natural environment. This issue is particularly important in the context of climate change, global warming, rising average temperature on the Earth, the progressing greenhouse effect of the Earth and the related new climate disasters is probably the most important topic for discussion, research and human action in the 21st century. The topics related to the greenhouse effect on Earth, which are the subject of discussion, are particularly important and scientifically important and in the context of human life. I wish you all good and best regards

Dear Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh, Thank you very much for asking this very important question.

Question:

Main Diference in Renewable Energy Policy of oil producing counteris with others?

this is a very important issue that requires scientific research.

It seems to me that this is an interesting question and it is very good that this question appeared on the research portal Research Gate.

Does anyone from you conduct research in this area?

I wish you all good and best regards

The analysis of differences in the scope of Renewable Energy Policy in individual countries should take into account the scale of the share of the oil refining and refining industry in the entire national economy. The large share of the oil industry in the domestic economy may generate analogous large-scale lobbying of the industry on the government, on policies on shaping a specific direction of development of this sector in a given country. This lobbying may concern, for example, the deliberate slowing of energy sector reforms in the scope of pro-ecological needs. This type of conservative policy may not take into account the needs of reforming the energy sector, including the development of renewable energy sources, ecological innovations in renewable energy technologies, ecological material innovations, etc. The development of electromobility or the development of power supply technologies based on hydrogen engines should also be added to this issue. oxygen or other environmentally neutral technologies. Such reforms are necessary in the 21st century in connection with the need to reduce greenhouse gases in order to slow down the progressing global warming process, ie the increase of the average annual temperature on Earth. In the 21st century, it is necessary to develop a new green economy in the context of the forthcoming fourth technological revolution, known as Industry 4.0.

In the context of this issue of lobbying of the oil industry affecting the governments of countries, there is an important issue for discussion in the field of economic development of the world in the 21st century. Therefore, I am asking you with an important question: Does the issue of oil industry lobbying affecting national governments in order to slow down energy sector reforms be a serious problem and a brake on pro-ecological reforms in the energy sector and the development of, for example, electromobility?

I invite you to the discussion

The objective of increasing the use of renewable energy source for electricity generation by all countries, independently if these countries have or not abundant fossil fuels, is to reduce the negative impact that the use of this type of energy source for this specific purpose can have on the environment and population.

However, there also different objectives in the use of renewable energy source if you have other types of energy sources. These differences are the following:

1- If the country has abundant fossil fuels, they can adopt an energy policy for promoting the use of renewable energy sources for electricity generation to increase the volume of fossil fuels that can be used for exports.

2- An energy policy adopted by a country can promote the use of renewable energy source to provide electricity to the regions where the national energy system cannot be used for this specific purpose.

3- A country can adopt an energy policy to promotes the use of renewable when it has a low reserve of fossil fuels or high consumption of this type of energy source for electricity generation. This is mainly true when the price of fossil fuels is very high or higher than the cost of using some renewable energy source for this specific purpose.

4- A country can adopt an energy policy to promotes the use of renewable when the state has to import a large amount of fossil fuel from a very politically unstable region or to high price or when it has not sufficient resources to imports fossil fuels for electricity generation.

5- If a country has no conditions or insufficient funds to expand the use of renewable, but has enough fossil fuel reserves, it can adopt an energy policy that promotes the exports of fossil fuels to obtain the necessary resources to support the use of renewable for electricity generation.

Let consider the second part of Comment # 3 in practice: An oil producing country consumes plenty of its oil production for domestic electricity production. This is especially the case when the oil price inside the country is low due to subsidies. Therefore, promoting renewable energy needs subsidies, some type of incentives, or increasing the domestic oil price. Each of these policies would cause undesirable consequences. Thus, RE policy making becomes problematic.

By the way, Comment # 4; though it is wise for many cases, it is not related to the oil producing countries.

Dear Saim Memon

Such countries have no choice to consider renewable energy, especially if they have large population that consume a considerable part of their oil production for electricity generation. The question is what would be an effective policy then.

Dariusz Prokopowicz points on a barrier against promoting renewable energy: lobbying. Is this issue specific to oil producing countries?

hi

In my opinion, I have to allocate a few percent of the oil exports to the dispersed production (solar cell , Fuel cell, Wind, .......) sector For example, 10% of crude oil sales to solar energy and related issues Such as Energy Exchange, the construction of semiconductor components in the field of solar energy and etc appropriate

I think this is a significant issue indeed. It is not just about OPEC countries not being too enthusiastic about RE policies, but also heavily subsidizing oil and gas for consumption in the country. This killed RE in these countries for a long time requiring in turn subsidizing RE! So one bad policy begets another and as much as I love RE, the idea of promoting it at any cost should not count as positive. Like any other technology - it has to earn its bucks and it has gotten there. In fact the decline in cost has been so sharp that it is hard to argue against it even with subsidized fossil fuel. We need a front runner now from OPEC to embrace it fully. I will not get too excited but Saudi Arabia announced earlier this year a 200 GW solar policy (https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/saudi-arabia-200-gigawatt-solar-plan#gs.kLuRGpU) YES 200 GW it is although there was some confusion later on if they meant it. Anyway, the point is less about the precise target - even the number is more like say 100 GW, it will have a snowball effect in the region to break the shackle for many.

A wise and balanced comment by Deb Chattopadhyay indeed: No heavily subsidized fossil fuel, at the same time no too much government incentives for RE. In some cases we see the reverse: low domestic fuel prices and late but heavily subsidized RE.

The important issue is how to have a smooth but rapid transition from the latter policy to the former? How good is a rush to RE by constructing huge RE plants in reach oil countries by government aids?

@ Sadegh Vaez-Zadeh The answer to the last question is "no good" to have a policy driven by political gimmicks and vested interests. Customers ultimately pay for it - not the politicians. Countries like Germany and Australia have seen significant increase in tariff but at least most customers can afford an increase in $30-50 per month in their bills. The first question on a smooth but rapid transition is a tough one. It probably requires a multifaceted policy that aims at more than just increasing the share of RE in generation mix. It may need to serve many other purpose such as employment generation, a meaningful preservation of its domestic primary energy resource, cross-border trading, development of a solar/wind turbine manufacturing industry for longer term interests etc. Even if solar and wind are cheap today, leaving a lot of the existing generation (and possibly transmission associated with them) as stranded cannot make the transition rapid and yet smooth.

Thank you Dr. Deb Chattopadhyay for your insightful and informative views. The consequences of a failed or non-comprehensive national RE policy would not be just devastating for the country of origin, but also deteriorates more or less the global RE as a whole. Look at the current situation in France as an example, regardless of the aims and proposes of the protestors. It gives free ride to opponent of RE not only at home, but also in faraway places. RE policy is not just tariff, subsidy, and investment. it must be a harmonized policy package addressing economic, social and ecological aspects of RE among others.

We still need thoughtful answers to this question from a wide range of experts as not innovative and less effective RE policies are continued to be implemented in many of these countries.