GlassPoint Solar today stands at the cutting edge of the global energy industry thanks to its unique solar energy technology, which is paving new partnerships between the renewable and conventional energy industries. Specifically developed in response to the environmental and economic challenges faced by oil producers, GlassPoint’s innovative technology addresses the cost, conservation and environmental issues associated with energy intensive Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations around the world.
“Today, heavy oil makes up about 70% of the world’s crude oil reserves and steam injection or thermal EOR is one of the most efficient and widely deployed methods for extracting this thick, viscous oil,” explains Badar Al-Sariri, Senior Manager of Project Development at GlassPoint Oman. “Steam generated from burning gas is an essential part of this process, and in a typical heavy oil field, gas purchase makes up about 60% of the field’s operating costs. On top of this, of course, it places a heavy demand on a valuable natural resource and creates high-levels of harmful carbon emissions. GlassPoint has proven that by harnessing the Sun’s clean and renewable energy to generate emissions-free solar steam, we can significantly reduce energy consumption, operating costs and toxic emissions. We believe this can be a game-changer for the oil and gas industry and for the environment.”
Building on Oman’s oil industry roots and world leading expertise in advanced EOR solutions, GlassPoint and its partner Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) are reshaping the future of energy and creating a world-class solar industry in the Sultanate. Together, the two companies are building Miraah, one of the world’s biggest solar plants of any kind. Located in south Oman on PDO’s Amal field, Miraah is scheduled to begin generating solar steam later this year.
PDO and GlassPoint commissioned the first solar EOR plant in the Middle East, a seven-megawatt pilot project, back in 2013. The pilot proved the commercial viability and cost effectiveness of GlassPoint’s solar steam technology. Rather than burning gas to produce steam, GlassPoint solar steam generators were deployed. Large curved mirrors concentrate sunlight on a pipe filled with oilfield water to create steam for the EOR process. Enclosed in inexpensive mass produced agricultural type greenhouses, the specially created ultra-thin mirrors are protected from the region’s severe dust and sandstorms. As a result, the pilot achieved 98% uptime, operating even when other facilities had to shut down due to challenging weather conditions.
“The pilot was extremely successful and gave GlassPoint and PDO key insights that led to continued innovation and cost reductions. We’ve developed design and engineering enhancements to optimize the processes of building and operating our systems at scale, resulting in cost savings over 40% compared to the pilot plant,” noted Al-Sariri.
More than 100 times bigger than the pilot project, Miraah will produce over 1 gigawatt of peak thermal energy once complete. Miraah comprises 36 easy-to-maintain greenhouse modules, which will span 1.8 square kilometers. Together, with the plant’s supporting infrastructure, total plant size is just under three-square kilometres, equivalent to over 360 football pitches.
Miraah achieved savings by sourcing many raw materials locally, including all the fabricated steel. Savings of more than US$1 million in shipping costs were made just in the setting up of a factory on site to manufacture supports for the solar collectors using domestically sourced aluminium extrusions. The surrounding community benefited too from the hiring of local contractors.
