Green Energy Sources Reduce Carbon Footprint of Oil & Gas Industry Processes: A Review

Abstract

In recent years, the oil and gas sector has been moving towards green production methods to achieve net-zero emission goals. Governments and corporations have started large-scale initiatives to deploy advanced technologies to reduce carbon footprints and prevent global warming. Herein, we have explored the emerging techniques and methods used in reducing the effects of gas emissions in the oil and gas industry. The transition process from hydrocarbons to renewable energy resources, including solar thermal applications for EOR, thermal energy extraction from hydrocarbon reservoirs, hydrogen generation strategies, and CO2 EOR and storage applications, has also been discussed. Literature information and publicly available data have paved the way to provide the theoretical background, the rationale of use, screening and selection criteria, challenges, and workarounds for these novel energy sources. Systems to integrate green methods into oil and gas processes appear in detail, from screening to implementation. Then, the technical information for integrating these resources under multiple conditions that affect the system's efficiency, such as weather, seasonal temperature changes, wind, and solar exposure, have been investigated. Moreover, added benefits of such incorporation strategies, such as improved economics with minimal effects on capital intensiveness or other burdens on the overall economy, have also been addressed. The transition from fossil fuels to renewable and greener energy resources provided the underlying motivation for this study.