Solar and battery storage tapped to power huge oil field in Qatar

CleanTechnica

High-tech industrial battery manufacturer Saft will supply Sunica plus batteries for a solar power installation at the Duhkan oilfield in Qatar, which covers an area of about 80 kilometers (50 miles) by 8 kilometers (5 miles). It is located west of Doha and has been in operation for decades; the first well was drilled in about 1940. Today, the daily capacity can reach 335,000 barrels. 40,000 Sunica.plus batteries will be placed near 700+ wells for energy storage and backup power.

The fact that an oil field uses solar power at least suggests that this clean, renewable form of energy is cost-effective.

Additionally, there is a candid and admirable statement about the lack of environmental controls at the oilfield until more recently. “Prior to 1994, no efforts were made to protect the environment of Dukhan. The level of environmental awareness was almost non-existing except for some individual efforts at personal levels. In mid 1994, Qatar Petroleum created the first industrial environmental organization in the State of Qatar when it formed its Environmental Affairs department. Since that time the Environment department has been working ceaselessly to improve the environmental performance of the corporation and provide focus and leadership in the State for industrial environmental matters.”

Saft was awarded the nearly $10 million contract from Kentz, an engineering company that is working to protect the oil field’s well casings from corrosion damage. Solar panels and the Sunica batteries will support the corrosion protection system.

“Thousands of Saft Sunica.plus batteries are currently deployed at off-grid solar powered sites around the world, where they have demonstrated unrivalled performance and long-life. Kentz’s decision to select them for this very prestigious project for Qatar Petroleum’s Dukhan oilfield is further confirmation that Sunica.plus is the ideal choice for remote, hard to access installations where absolute reliability is essential and routine maintenance is time-consuming and expensive,” said Xavier Delacroix, a Saft General Manager.

We might tend to think of solar power as something reserved for homeowners, but it can have industrial applications as well. In particular, off-grid solar is very suitable for remote work sites, where grid-tied electricity is unavailable. This was actually one of the first sectors in which solar power became cost-competitive with conventional alternatives. For example, at some mining sites, solar power is a viable option and it can reduce diesel fuel costs.

Source: CleanTechnica. Reproduced with permission.