PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SYSTEMS PROSPECTIVE IN OMAN: Technical and Economical Study

Peak electricity demand in Oman will increase from 2,773 MW in 2007 to an expected 5,691 MW in 2014. The forecast for electricity generation in 2014 will be 24.0 TWh, and electricity shortages are expected to occur in the near future if current trends continue. The Omani government accounts for 19% of total gas production, while the remainder is used in oil-production and for export, and up to 92% of the natural gas is domestically used for producing electricity. If we continue to build power stations which utilize gas for electricity production Oman will have to import, rather than export gas. Thus it is strongly advisable to seek alternative sources of energy. This study aims to study the feasibility of using solar energy via photovoltaic technology to generate electricity in Oman. Workable systems have been installed, monitored and analyzed in order to evaluate these systems in terms of reliability, productivity and feasibility. Moreover, recommendation for optimal sizing of these system have been presented considering Oman climate.

Hussian Kazem is an assistant professor at Sohar Universisty. He has a PhD degree in power electronics from Newcastle University, UK. Tamer Khatib is a senior researcher at Sohar University. He holds a Ph.D degree in PV systems from National University of Malaysia, Malaysia. The research interest of the authors is renewable energy