This month the GlassPoint Solar Inc. will begin construction of the large-scale solar park aimed at providing energy for the oil production applying EOR process. On completion, the solar farm is to become an efficient energy project.
The new solar project got name "Miraah" which in Arabic means mirror. The GlassPoint solar Inc. develops the park in cooperation with Petroleum Development Oman, a cooperative property of state government and also other oil companies, such as Shell, Total and Partex. The solar-thermal park will be turning water into steam and heating the grounds in the area of oilfield. This technology is called enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and is aimed at providing more efficient oil producing.
Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is the implementation of various techniques for increasing amounts of crude oil obtained from the oil field. There are several types of this technique: thermal recovery, gas injection and chemical injection. Applying of the EOR techniques gives a total result of 30-60% of the oil reservoir, as compared to 20-40% using other recovery methods.
Oman is a developing country. Its economy is to a large extent dependent on the oil and natural gas production, which are the main industry branches in the country. Most of its oil fields have hard-attainable deposits of high density. Currently, the Petroleum Development Oman burns natural gas to produce steam for oil loosening process, which appears to be inefficient, considering the high gas prices and the scales of oil production. So the DPO resorts to the help of The GlassPoint solar Inc., a leading company in solar energy for oil production. Their goal is to cut natural gas consumption and to use more sustainable energy. In the hot and sunny area of the Middle East the use of solar energy for oil production needs is estimated to be about 28 percent cheaper than natural gas technologies. Although, the energy obtained from the new solar park will be satisfying only industrial needs, considering the natural gas saved it may supply around 200,000 people with electricity. In this context, Rob MacGregor commented: "The global oil industry uses around 9 barrels of fossil fuels per day which is an equivalent of Western Europe daily use". He also said that the saved natural gas may be a great boost for other industries in Oman. As estimated, Mirrah will save 5.6 trillion British thermal units of gas each year.
The scales of the Miraah are incredible. With its total capacity of more than 1 GW is going to become the biggest energy project in the world. Currently the record holder is a solar park, built in California by First Solar. It has a nameplate of 550 mw. So the new farm in Oman appears to be almost twice as big as the previous solar leader.
The Miraah construction is to begin this month and planned to be completed by the late 2017. The solar park will be placed in South Oman and it'll occupy around 3 km2 with the total solar panel surface of around 2 km2. The park is designed to consist of 36 glasshouse units, which will be constructed and installed in sequences of four. The solar panels by themselves will be lifted on the height of six meters above the ground, as compared to standard installations of 1 meter above the ground. That will prevent the panels from soiling. Each glasshouse will be capable of generating of 85 million BTU of solar steam per hour, and the total capacity of the farm is estimated to be approximately up to 6000t of steam per day. The enterprise is going to demonstrate the use of solar technologies for oil production on the commercial-scale. Even though the EOR process will be powered by natural gas at nights, the solar park is to reduce theCO2 emissions by 300,000t per year.
The use of solar energy is a productive way for Oman to make their energy sources more sustainable. Currently, 20% of gas consumption in Oman is used in oil producing, and it is larger amount than they use for electricity generating. Such projects as Miraah can definitely increase productivity of Oman's economy, redirecting gas from oil producing into other industries. Nevertheless, Oman has a great potential for solar energy development so provided the current project is successful, the state government may consider this issue for future progress in the energy sphere.
GlassPoint Solar Inc. is a private company, founded in 2009, headquartered in Fremont, California. They design, manufacture and install the solar systems for oil and gas production, in order to provide their customers with lower-cost technologies.
Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) is the oil producing company in the country, founded in 1925 with headquarters in Muscat, Oman. It is a joint enterprise of several oil companies (Shell, Total, Partex) with main interest part (around 60%) belonging to the state government. The company produces around 70% of country's oil and almost all its natural gas.
First Solar is an American company, engaged in photovoltatic manufacturing, solar panels installations and supporting services. It was founded in 1999, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, US.
