GlassPoint Solar, the leading supplier of solar to the oil and gas industry, is demonstrating its proven solar technology at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (Adipec).

 Exhibiting alongside its global partner Royal Dutch Shell, GlassPoint is giving visitors a chance to experience a virtual reality tour of Miraah, a landmark project that uses solar energy to support oil production.

Adipec is one of the oil and gas industry’s most important exhibitions and conferences. The expansive technical and strategic conference program has over 700 speakers, more than 2,500 companies exhibiting technologically innovative solutions for the oil and gas industry and over 95,000 attendees.

GlassPoint’s director of Project Management, Ismail Al Maskari, said: “The virtual reality experience allows visitors to immerse themselves within one of the world’s largest solar plants, which is now under construction on an oilfield in Oman. It provides a unique first-hand experience of how GlassPoint’s solar technology operates effectively in the harshest weather conditions associated with desert oil fields. The tour demonstrates how solar energy can be deployed on the oilfield to reduce costs and achieve long-term energy goals.”

“It takes substantial amounts of energy and money to produce oil, with a typical heavy oilfield utilising the same amount of energy as a city. GlassPoint’s technology helps operators significantly cut energy consumption by using the sun’s clean energy to produce steam needed for thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The natural gas, which is traditionally used as a burning fuel to make steam, can be diverted to other industries and higher value applications. Making the most of available energy resources is vital in today’s economic climate,” Al Maskari added.

“We are very pleased to have GlassPoint, one of our portfolio companies, showcase its novel technology in our stand during Adipec this year. Shell’s partnership with GlassPoint extends beyond our shared commitment to technical innovation and excellence in EOR, it also signifies the growing convergence that is taking place between the oil and gas industry and renewable energy,” stated Ali Al-Janabi, Shell Abu Dhabi country chair.

Following a successful pilot in Oman with PDO, GlassPoint was awarded Miraah in July 2015.  Currently under construction, Miraah will be one of the world’s largest solar plants in the world. This project will deliver over one gigawatt of peak thermal energy, generating 6,000 tonnes of steam per day. The steam will be used in PDO’s thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations to extract heavy and viscous oil at the Amal oilfield in southern Oman.

Shell is a major shareholder in both GlassPoint and PDO. The companies were recognized for Miraah earlier this year with a prestigious Shell Upstream International (UI) Impact Award in the ‘Safety and Environment’ category. – TradeArabia News Service