GlassPoint Solar, a leading supplier of solar technology to the oil and gas industry, showcased the effectiveness of its steam generating solar technology used in the production of oil in Bahrain recently.
 
The company participated at the Middle East Oil & Gas Show (MEOS) in Bahrain alongside its global partner Royal Dutch Shell.

GlassPoint’s solution has been designed to operate smoothly in harsh desert environments. It can reduce an oilfield’s carbon emissions and the natural gas typically used to produce steam for heavy oil production by up to 80 per cent, the company said.

As part of the exhibition, GlassPoint is gave visitors a chance to experience a virtual reality tour of Miraah, one of the world’s largest solar plants currently under construction in south of Oman. The virtual reality experience demonstrated how GlassPoint’s innovative technology can be used to achieve energy and environmental goals, the company said.

“With the current demand for natural gas in the Kingdom, Bahrain can benefit immensely from using solar to produce the steam needed to boost its thermal enhanced oil recovery activities. GlassPoint’s technology can save valuable gas resources, which are traditionally used as a burning fuel to make the steam. As a result, recovery costs are brought down, a vital consideration with current low oil prices,” stated Marwan Chaar, who heads the project development efforts for GlassPoint internaionally.

He added: “More importantly, GlassPoint’s sustainable solution decreases carbon emissions, significantly mitigating the environmental impact of the process. There are benefits for economies too, with gas saved becoming available for export, for power generation, or to develop new industries.”

Following a successful pilot in Oman with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO), GlassPoint was awarded Miraah, a landmark project over 100 times larger than the pilot system. On completion, Miraah will be one of the world’s largest solar plants, delivering one gigawatt of peak thermal energy. It will generate 6,000 tonnes of steam for use in PDO’s thermal enhanced oil recovery operations to extract heavy and viscous oil at the Amal oilfield. - TradeArabia News Service