EXPERT ANSWER
Oman has the highest solar density in the world. Solar power also has the potential to provide enough electricity to meet Oman’s national electricity demand. So far, solar energy has only been used to heat water on private roofs and in the oil production industry.
- Studies on renewable energy in Oman estimate solar insolation at 4.5 to 6.1 kWh / m² per day. This ranges from 1,640 to 2,200 kWh per year. Since Oman’s solar insulation has a significant difference between minimum and maximum values, a backup system may need to be installed on days with low solar insulation.
- Oman country has the highest solar-insolation during the season of summer, when electricity demand is also high. Potential surplus arising during the summer can be exported as seasonal storage is not available. Desert areas have the highest solar potential, while coastal areas in southern Oman have the lowest solar radiation.
Recent energy policies have shown that while contributing to global climate change mitigation, Oman is investing in large-scale sustainable energy production with the goal of meeting the country’s future energy security. These renewable energy schemes will significantly contribute to the sustainable economic development of the country considering the many unused renewable renewable resources and opportunities ranging from solar energy to wave energy.
- The Oman Power System is not fully interconnected, so there are two major networks in the power sector: the first, the two largest major Interconnected System (MIS), covering most of the north, and the other, the Salalah Dhofar Power Company-owned system serving the southern region. Areas outside the two networks are supplied with electricity by the Rural Electricity Company.
- Renewable energy projects face four main limitations: (1) cost competitiveness and cost structure, (2) intermittent, (3) level and (4) legal framework.
According to the Oman Vision 2040 implementation follow-up unit, Manah 1 and 2 Solar Independent Power Projects (IPPs) support the Sultanate’s direction to use renewable energy to meet electricity demand.
- Oman Power and Water Procurement Company (OPWP), the sole buyer of Sultanate’s electricity and water capacity, is implementing the Manah 1 and 2 solar projects with an estimated investment of RO300 million. The projects are located in Willow, Manahe and the total production capacity of each is 500MW.
- The efficiency factor of a PV plant varies between 20% and 14% and the price of electricity varies between 210 $ / MWh and 304 $ / MWh.
Other energy sources
- It is possible to generate electricity by wave energy off the coast of the Arabian Sea. But compared to other parts of the world and solar and wind energy sources, the energy density and hence the efficiency is very low.
- Oman Biogas has limited capacity to generate electricity as available wastewater, agricultural waste and animal manure are mostly used in fertilizers. Animal waste is additionally spread over large areas, making it difficult and costly to collect in sufficient quantities.
- Oman has significant wind power in the southern coastal areas and in the mountains north of the Salalah. The highest wind speed was observed in the Dhofar mountain range north of Salalah. The northern and western parts of Oman are areas with low wind speeds. During the summer, this is the peak period of electricity demand in Oman, with the highest wind speed observed.
- The ability to use geothermal energy to generate electricity is limited only in Oman. Borehole temperature data and detected temperatures are lower than the temperatures required to use water directly for steam plants