Assessment of the consciousness levels on renewable energy resources in the Sultanate of Oman

This paper aims to investigate the level of awareness and prevailing attitudes of the Oman government's electrical sectors towards renewable energy. The geographical landscape of the Sultanate of Oman lends itself to energy generation from solar radiation, yet no decisive steps have been taken to initiate relevant projects that will reduce the country's reliance on oil and gas in electricity production. This study is motivated by the need to better understand the obstacles that impede the implementation of renewable energy projects in Oman and the factors that cause delays in project initiation. To this end, we developed a questionnaire with sections intended for three government sectors: research groups, electrical companies and ministries, and regulatory bodies. Results indicate that ministries and regulatory bodies primarily support the increased exploitation of fossil fuels-a core reason for the slow adoption of renewable energy sources. Moreover, 82% of the respondents place priority on natural gas for use in power plants and more than 19% encourage the implementation of energy efficiency standards. All respondents consider renewable energy a viable future energy option and generally agree that the government should promote renewable energy and support relevant pilot projects. This study highlights the importance of immediately shifting to renewable energy and encouraging its development; a move necessary to alleviate the environmental risk posed by the use of fossil fuel-based energy. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.