Abu Dhabi (largest of the seven UAE emirates) has announced that it will switch to coal-fired power plants. Dubai (the second largest) is already building four of them – with a combined output of 4,000 megawatts – as a first-phase investment in coal. Apart from the United Arab Emirates, Oman (widely regarded as “the next Dubai”) has signed a contract with South Korea for the construction of several coal-fired plants. Beyond the Gulf, Egypt proposes to build its first coal-fired plant on the shores of the Red Sea. Russia has announced plans to build more than 30 coal-fired plants by 2011. The Kyoto Protocol, incidentally, classifies the Gulf states as developing countries – meaning that they are under no obligation, oil revenues notwithstanding, to reduce CO2 emissions. They have opted for coal for a single compelling reason: cost. One of the ironic differences between Germany and the Gulf states, Der Spiegel observes, is the absence of solar energy investment “in the sun-baked Gulf states.” Germany produced 1,300 megawatts from solar installations in 2007; the Gulf states combined produced 36 megawatts. As impressive as its commitment to solar power appears, though, Germany has its work cut out. It has promised to generate most of its electricity by renewable energies (largely wind and solar) by 2020 – when it will phase out its nuclear power. Germany has thus opted for the world’s most expensive electrical power even as other countries simultaneously opt for the cheapest.