ABU DHABI: The fine words, passionate speeches and formal handshakes over, the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi concluded on Thursday.

Over 23,000 people visited the five-day event, a rise of 25 percent over 2009. The accompanying exhibition, covering the area of four soccer fields, housed at least 600 exhibitors ranging from energy giants including BP Alternative Energy, Standard Chartered, Siemens, Schneider Electric, ExxonMobil to more modest retailers of household energy saving appliances.

The number of national pavilions was double last year’s figure.

The conference attracted 3,000 participants, over 70 ministers of state and royal guests along with academics, businessmen and representatives of more than 130 countries. The summit also attracted more political attention than before with at least 100 government delegations attending.

“I think this is the center of the clean energy revolution that is going on around the world,” said the British Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband.

Exhibitors have also acknowledged the role the summit is playing in helping facilitate business and development opportunities.

Sectors most represented include solar, wind, environment, green building and water. China, France, Spain, the UK, the US, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the Netherlands are among the list of countries that hosted national pavilions.

“We have secured some solid business leads which we are confident will develop after the show. The event is becoming a reference point in the Middle East region,” said Mauricio Rojas La Rotta, marketing representative of the Solar Power Group. The general consensus is that the future for renewable energy is bright.

“Renewables are of course a big part of the current mix, but they are going to be an even bigger part in the future,” added Deputy Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Richard Jones.

Certainly the buzz was there. Keynote speeches ranged from the scientifically detailed to the inspirational. In the roundtable discussions and small press conferences, where the journalists were able to ask questions, opinions were divided.

A straw poll by Arab News of around 20 international observers, largely from scientific publications, found that most were less trusting of the public speeches.

“If climate change is real and man does have an input, then renewables is the way forward. However this hoopla was about a new market, new business and profit. That in itself is not bad, especially if this does actually have the effect of reducing carbon emissions,” said the editor of a European popular-science magazine, summing up the general attitude among those polled.

Several commented that they thought it odd that representatives of companies who had signed deals and committed to backing research and development declined to be specific about their cash commitment. “Substantial” was the closest the representatives gave to an answer.

The drive for renewable energy may well turn out to be the industrial revolution of the 21st century and also have the effect of making the world a cleaner place.

Like the last one however, judging by the investment made by world-class companies, it will be done for profit, not for the love of the planet.