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John Vidal in Abu Dhabi
The Guardian, Tuesday January 22 2008

In the many years in which the Prince of Wales has attended official functions he has never appeared quite like this. At the alternative energy conference in Abu Dhabi he was not exactly there in the flesh. There was no video link either.

Instead, delegates were treated to a full-size, walking, talking, fiddling hologram of his royal highness, who made a brief speech then vanished back into thin air.

His appearance was the talk of the 2,500 delegates at the World Future energy summit, most of whom had flown thousands of miles to discuss renewable energy and climate change and how to save emissions.

The very sight of Prince Charles caused many to gasp, and they were also surprised by his reference to a common "creator" figure. "Scientists are now saying that the problem of climate change is now so grave and so urgent that we have less than 10 years to slow, stop and reverse greenhouse gas emissions. Common actions are needed in every country to protect the common inheritance that has been given to us by our creator..." said the prince.

He welcomed an announcement by Abu Dhabi of an investment of $15bn (£7.7bn) of new money immediately, and far more later, into alternative energy projects including wind, solar, and carbon capture technologies. The money will be channelled through the new Masdar initiative, which expects to raise more than $200bn for renewables in the next decade.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, said the small emirate, which controls 10% of the world's oil reserves, intended to become the world's leading funder and researcher of renewable energy. "The evidence is now overwhelming that our responsibility must be balanced by a duty to find new sources of energy and protect the world..." said the prince. He said Abu Dhabi would join the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US to set up an alternative energy university and would build the world's largest solar power station.

The US secretary of energy, Samuel Bodman, said that more than $22 trillion of new investment was needed to meet extra global demand for energy within 22 years. "We cannot depend on hydrocarbons [such as oil and gas]. The world needs safe, reliable, clean affordable energy in considerably greater numbers than it now has. We require massive global investments..." he said. He acknowledged that the recent US switch to home-grown biofuels, made mostly from maize, was leading to the escalation of food prices around the world. "It is a matter of concern, but it is not devastating..." he said.

Jonathon Porritt, the UK government's adviser on sustainable development, admonished the UN and energy companies for insisting that oil and gas could be part of the energy mix for a century. "Renewables are the only solution. The International Energy Agency's projections [that oil and gas can be used for a century] are biased and inadequate. The challenge we face demands the complete transformation of economies. People do not understand the scale and speed of what is going to have to happen," he said.

Vivienne Cox, chief executive of BP alternative energy, said there was a "growing momentum" for change. "Renewables are growing very fast. Wind grew 30% last year, biofuel 20% and photovoltaics by 40%. Now is the time to build a sustainable energy industry alongside traditional oil and gas."

Graeme Sweeney, of Shell International, said conventional supplies of energy could not keep up with rapidly increasing global demand for oil and gas. He called on governments and companies to make renewables cheap and to reduce energy demand urgently.

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