The World Future Energy Summit 2008, hosted by Crown Prince General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, will focus on the country's attempt to create the world's first zero-waste and zero-emission city at Masdar with construction due to begin this year.
The hologram is based on a 19th century trick, called Pepper's ghost. The five-minute video, recorded about a month ago, will be beamed onto a film set to create Charles' 3-D image.
He will then hand the floor over to his brother, Prince Andrew, who will attend the conference in person.
The performance will save 15 tons of carbon dioxide, which would have been generated by Charles if he and his staff took the flight to Abu-Dhabi.
The biggest hurdle to the implementation of this ambitious project was Royal protocol, which does not allow two members of the Royal family on stage at the same time.
Charles was heavily criticized by the media and environmentalists after he and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, were alleged to have emitted over 20 tons of carbon dioxide while travelling to the U.S. to collect an environmental award.
Prince Charles is not the first public figure to make the use of the technology. Earlier, David Beckham's holographic image, recorded in Los Angeles, delivered a speech in London. In 2007, a 3-D image of Nobel Prize winner Al Gore appeared before the Live Earth concerts.
