As Mena-region turmoil rattles oil markets, the US is strengthening energy ties with Abu Dhabi, a Gulf oil exporter as yet untouched by the raging political storm. The chosen area for co-operation, however, has no explicit connection with US oil interests in the Middle East. Instead, the US energy department and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Government-owned clean energy company, are set to collaborate on a down-to-earth project to improve the performance of photovoltaic panels, the silicon-based structures that use semiconductors to convert sunlight into electricity. Specifically, they plan to test new coatings for solar panels that could prevent fine sand and dust from sticking to their light-sensitive surfaces, thereby reducing light absorption and power output. Apparently this is as much of a problem in the deserts of the US southwest - the backdrop for some of the world's largest solar projects - as it is in Abu Dhabi, which is seeking a leading role in harnessing the Arabian Desert's abundant sunlight to supply low-carbon electricity for the region's expanding economies and populations. The testing will take place at Masdar City, the clean-energy technology cluster and low-carbon real-estate development sprouting on the salt flats near the UAE capital. "Masdar's innovative test-bed supports the development of the cutting-edge technologies that will help overcome our energy challenges and aid economic growth," the US deputy energy secretary Daniel Poneman said on Monday at a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi. " Dr Sultan al Jaber, the chief executive of Masdar, said the project would help speed a global transition towards clean energy. "Acting as a test-bed for the United States to evaluate new technologies affirms Masdar's global leadership as a hub for collaboration in renewable energy and clean technology development," he said. The pilot scheme, an affirmation of a memorandum of understanding that Masdar signed with Washington last April's to co-operate on clean and sustainable energy technologies, seems perfectly straight-forward. But in the Byzantine world of energy geopolitics, it is seldom safe to take things at face value. The suspicious might wonder why the US government chooses to test high-tech materials on the salt flats of Abu Dhabi instead of Utah. What political undercurrents are in motion here? It is probably no coincidence that Mr Poneman's presence in Abu Dhabi quickly follows his visit last week to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, where he represented the US in talks between energy producers and consumers at an extraordinary ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum. There, the topic du jour was unambiguously oil, and specifically the security of Mena crude supplies. To be sure, Abu Dhabi does not currently export crude to the US. Instead it ships most of its oil output to Japan, South Korea and other Asian markets. Nevertheless, some large American oil producers such as ExxonMobil and Occidental Petroleum help pump the emirate's crude onto the international market, as do a number of leading US energy services firms such as Halliburton and GE Oil and Gas. It would be strange if Mr Poneman had not met the regional heads of such enterprises during his tour through some of the less explosive Middle Eastern states. It would also be strange if the ensuing conversations did not include strategic discussions of regional oil security issues. Other noted US oilmen were also in town this week to rally the troops. Bob Dudley, the new chief executive of BP, who hails from Texas, held a town-hall meeting with the company's local staff on Monday in Abu Dhabi's Hilton Hotel. "It is not at all surprising that he's in the Middle East," said a London-based BP spokesman. "Our assets in the region are extremely large. We are keeping a very close eye on the situation." From the high-level comings and goings, the suspicious might surmise that all is not quite business as usual in the Gulf's highest-profile industry. Mr Poneman's public message from Abu Dhabi, however, was one of studied calm, with nary a mention of the well-oiled elephant in the room. "Through bilateral relationships like this, we can help build a secure, prosperous and sustainable energy future for the citizens of our nations and the world," he said, referring to the solar deal. And in another sign of bilateral co-operation, Abu Dhabi's Al Jaber Group, a sprawling family-owned construction conglomerate, on Monday selected the Oshkosh Defence division of the US emergency equipment and vehicle supplier Oshkosh Corporation to provide heavy equipment transporter vehicles to the UAE Armed Forces. US oil producers in this country may take heart that their operations will continue under the protection of an entrenched bilateral military alliance that shows no sign of wearing thin.Instead, the US energy department and Masdar, the Abu Dhabi Government-owned clean energy company, are set to collaborate on a down-to-earth project to improve the performance of photovoltaic panels, the silicon-based structures that use semiconductors to convert sunlight into electricity. Specifically, they plan to test new coatings for solar panels that could prevent fine sand and dust from sticking to their light-sensitive surfaces, thereby reducing light absorption and power output. Apparently this is as much of a problem in the deserts of the US southwest - the backdrop for some of the world's largest solar projects - as it is in Abu Dhabi, which is seeking a leading role in harnessing the Arabian Desert's abundant sunlight to supply low-carbon electricity for the region's expanding economies and populations. The testing will take place at Masdar City, the clean-energy technology cluster and low-carbon real-estate development sprouting on the salt flats near the UAE capital. "Masdar's innovative test-bed supports the development of the cutting-edge technologies that will help overcome our energy challenges and aid economic growth," the US deputy energy secretary Daniel Poneman said on Monday at a signing ceremony in Abu Dhabi. " Dr Sultan al Jaber, the chief executive of Masdar, said the project would help speed a global transition towards clean energy. "Acting as a test-bed for the United States to evaluate new technologies affirms Masdar's global leadership as a hub for collaboration in renewable energy and clean technology development," he said. The pilot scheme, an affirmation of a memorandum of understanding that Masdar signed with Washington last April's to co-operate on clean and sustainable energy technologies, seems perfectly straight-forward. But in the Byzantine world of energy geopolitics, it is seldom safe to take things at face value. The suspicious might wonder why the US government chooses to test high-tech materials on the salt flats of Abu Dhabi instead of Utah. What political undercurrents are in motion here?