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A Solar Plant Is Being Used To Produce Oil
Design Team • June 7, 2016
| A new project in development in Oman may be able to revolutionize the way that people think about solar energy and oil and gas. The Miraah project currently being developed will use solar power in order to produce oil, thereby reducing the amount of natural gas Oman residences will need to rely upon. Ideally, the Miraah project will be able to address many of the outstanding issues with solar technology related to energy capture, while creating a more efficient and effective method of oil production. |
THE MIRAAH PROJECT IN OMAN
The Miraah project will be estimated to produce 6,000 tons of steam a day, all of which will be used to manually extract oil. The Miraah project is considered to be remarkable because of its sheer scope -- once completed in 2017 , the project will be one of the largest solar installations in the world. In order to extract oil through solar power, the environment has to both facilitate a large solar installation and be viable for oil production. Oman is a unique and unusual environment that is ideal for this type of development. Miraah itself is an installation of solar greenhouses that are used to create steam. It is hoped that it will be able to produce enough power for over 200,000 residences annually.
THE TRADITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON SOLAR POWER
Solar power has been traditionally limited by two factors: storage capacity and the cost of technology. Traditional solar cells are expensive to develop and purchase, limiting solar installations to extremely well-funded projects. Once the energy has been produced, it becomes a problem of storage. Either the energy must be immediately used within the grid, or it has to be stored in inefficient battery cells. Though solar power may be a renewable resource, these technology limitations have made it difficult to sustain.
THE ADVANTAGES OF USING OIL
Oil production through the use of solar power counters many of the limitations of traditional solar power. Rather than having to invest in costly technology, simpler methods such as steam greenhouses can be used. Rather than having to find ways to store or immediately use the excess energy, the energy produced by the steam is immediately used to recover oil, which is already a storage for energy. The oil itself will be advantageous over the natural gas currently being used in Oman, as oil is far more effective at being converted. The Miraah project should be able to reduce the costs of energy in addition to providing a new and innovative technique that other oil and gas companies may then seek to replicate.
The oil and gas industry will likely be watching the Miraah project closely, as it creates an excellent opportunity for those within the energy market. Where conditions are right for it, solar power can be used to more efficiently and affordably capture the oil that much of the world requires. The Miraah project will create a more efficient method of solar energy while also providing a highly efficient energy source.
Heavy Iron Oilfield Services, LP has always been dedicated to improving the efficiency and productivity of the oil and gas market. Through Heavy Iron Oilfild Services, businesses can procure only the best in new and used equipment and rentals. Contact Heavy Iron Oilfield Services today to learn more about their oilfield equipment.
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