Solar Energy Will Support EOR at California Field
David Wagman | November 30, 2017One of California’s largest oil and gas producers plans to build a solar energy project that uses solar steam and solar electricity to power oilfield operations. Once complete, the Belridge Solar project is expected to deliver one of the largest peak energy outputs of any solar plant in California.
The project is being taken on by Aera Energy, which was formed in 1997 by units of Shell and ExxonMobil. GlassPoint Solar is the developer. It specializes in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Its first solar EOR project opened in Kern County, California, in 2011. In 2012 the company’s CEO, CFO, and COO relocated to Muscat, Oman, to develop projects in Middle East oil producing regions.
Belridge Solar will consist of an 850 MW (thermal) solar thermal facility, producing 12 million barrels of steam per year, and a 26.5 MW (energy) photovoltaic facility that will generate electricity. The solar-generated steam and electricity will reduce natural gas currently used onsite in oilfield operations.
GlassPoint uses a greenhouse to protect the mirrors from wind and dust. It says that lightweight and inexpensive components may be used inside the greenhouse, reducing the overall system cost. (Watch this video of a solar installation at an the Amal West oil field in Oman.)
A robotic washing system will clean the greenhouse at night to remove dust and dirt. The automated system will collect and recycle about 90% of the water used in the cleaning cycle.
Aera and GlassPoint plan to break ground on the Belridge Solar plant in the first half of 2019. The project is expected to start producing steam and electricity as early as 2020.
GlassPoint’s solar technology provides renewable energy to extract heavy oil, which accounts for half of California’s crude oil production. Heavy oil is produced by injecting steam into the reservoir to heat the oil so it can be pumped to the surface. This EOR process typically generates steam using natural gas.
GlassPoint’s technology uses curved mirrors to focus sunlight onto pipes filled with produced water. The concentrated sunlight boils the water, turning it into steam. The solar steam will be fed to the existing steam distribution network at Belridge.
The enclosed troughs will be integrated with existing oilfield operations, accepting the same feedwater used by fuel-fired steam generators.
GlassPoint has scaled its technology overseas in Oman and is currently constructing Miraah with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO). In November, first steam was produced and delivered to the Amal West oilfield. Once complete, Miraah is expected to produce more than 1 gigawatt of peak thermal energy.
