Introduction

This article explores the extent to which small states from the Gulf can use clean technology in order to bolster their position both domestically and in the international system to guarantee their energy security. Energy security can be defined as the “assurance of the ability to access the energy resources required for the continued development of national power” (Kalicki and Goldwyn 2005: 9). Traditionally it has meant guaranteeing the provision of affordable, reliable, diverse and ample supplies of oil, gas and other primary energy sources. To this understanding another dimension must be added, namely guaranteeing the “transition from today's energy economy to the new, low-carbon energy economy” (Pascual and Elkind 2010:2).

The current global energy market has undergone tremendous changes over the past 30 years. This has notably impacted the Gulf countries through variations of oil prices. Thus, the price of oil (expressed in dollars of 2012) decreased from just under $100 a barrel in 1980 to less than $50 a barrel by 2002, before it increased again to the 1980 level in 2011 (Figure 1). Furthermore, external shocks, such as the 2009 financial crisis and the explosion of the nuclear power plant in Fukushima due to the tsunami of March 2011, have led to changes in the way people view their energy sources. Nuclear energy has begun to lose its appeal. This is especially so in Europe with the planned phasing out of all nuclear plants in Germany and Switzerland on the horizon by 2030-2050 (Grätz 2012). This change of opinion on nuclear energy by European countries has strengthened the idea that renewable and clean energy is a viable alternative. Under these circumstances, an interesting question to ask pertains to the relevance of clean energy for the oil-rich exporting small states in the Gulf. In other words: what is the impact on energy security of the adoption of clean energy technologies for the small states in the Gulf?