Performance Assessment of First Off-Grid Solar PV and Battery Power Systems Deployment for Unconventional Gas Well sites in Saudi Arabia and System Optimization Opportunities

Abstract

Oil and gas operations are undergoing a transformation as part of the energy transition, where there is an increasing interest in reducing carbon emissions from oil and gas operations. Integrating renewables and low-carbon electricity into new upstream oil and gas fields is considered to be one of the key approaches to minimizing carbon emissions. This paper provides a case study that demonstrates the utilization of renewable energy technologies for oil and gas core operations in remote and challenging environments with a deep insight into the first off-grid PV solar unconventional gas field in Saudi Arabia along with analyzing the system performance. The off-grid solar PV and ES systems deployed for this application were custom-designed, driven by key requirements focused on high-reliability, performance, and long-lifecycle with minimal maintenance. The paper also highlighted the areas of opportunities that can be explored and implemented to optimize system solution deployment for long-term economical and environmentally sustainable operations, along with adopting new technologies such as robotic cleaning and modular thermoelectric.