Photovoltaic (PV) systems installed on top residential buildings across Oman could offer an estimated 1.4 gigawatts (GW) of solar energy capacity, a report said.

Rooftop PV capacity in Muscat alone is estimated at 450 megawatts (MW), equivalent to a  mid-size gas based conventional power plant, the Oman Observer report added, quoting Khalil Alzidi, PAEW’s Senior Engineer — Renewable Energy.

Alzidi was commenting on a rooftop renewable energy study commissioned by Oman’s Public Authority for Electricity and Water (PAEW) and undertaken in collaboration with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

A key part of the study focused on investigating the importance of incentives for renewable energy development from the technical and financial standpoints, said Alzidi.

“One of the recommendations that came out of the study was for the introduction of a Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) mechanism, which does not exist at the moment.  The absence of Feed-in-Tariffs is one of the (shortcomings) that needs to be addressed (if private investment in renewable energy development is to make headway in the Sultanate,” he added.

FiT allows for those who have renewable energy capacity to sell their surplus electricity to the local grid.

The PAEW study has determined that a FiT scheme covering rooftop PV capacity should ideally be of 20 years’ duration if it is to be viable in the Sultanate, the report said.