Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Ramadan 17, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Construction of solar parking lots at SQU to commence in August

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324 units of PV modules will be installed with an expected annual energy production of 140MWh -


MUSCAT: The construction of solar parking lots at Sultan Qaboos University will commence in August.


The project of covering SQU’s car park with photovoltaic cells will be done in two phases. For the phase 1, the project site is the College of Engineering parking lot. This 82 kW project is expected to reduce carbon emission by 82.6 ton/year. 324 units of PV modules will be installed with an expected annual energy production of 140MWh.


Prof Abdullah al Badi from the College of Engineering said that the total cost for phase one is RO 108,000 which will be funded by Jacobs International Engineering Consultancy, LLC. The main contractor is Nafath Renewable Energy. An agreement in this regard has been signed by SQU and Jacobs International recently.


Prof Ali Huwaishal Al Shuaili, SQU Deputy Vice Chancellor for Administrative & Financial Affairs, Prof Hadj Bourdoucen, David Zelinski, Vice President, Middle East, Jacobs International, Patrick Tranter, Project Service Manager, and Loay Battash, Human Resources Manager attended the function.


Renewable energy applications are becoming more viable and are finding more markets around the world. An example of a clean, renewable energy resource is energy generation using photovoltaic (PV) systems. Wherein PV system is reliable, safe and unlike the fossil fuel generated energy, it does not cause harm to the environment in terms of pollution during its operation. Oman enjoys high solar radiation ranging from 5,500-6,000 Wh/m2 per day in July to 2,500-3,000 Wh/m2 per day in January.


This high level of solar energy density in Oman is among the highest in the world. There is significant scope for developing solar energy resources throughout Oman and solar energy has the potential to provide sufficient electricity to meet all of Oman’s domestic electricity requirements.


Sultan Qaboos University is considered as renewable energy research hub for Omani market. Recently SQU approved the establishment of Sustainable Energy Research Center. The College of Engineering at has SQU conducted several researches and projects related to renewable energy in general and solar energy in particular. Parking lots are covering large areas in SQU. A team from the college of engineering proposed covering 100 car park using PV modules instead of conventional shading material.


The team includes Dr Mohammed al Badi and Dr Rashid al Abri, and led by Prof Abdullah al Badi. The team conducted a pre-feasibility study and an initial design of the system. The benefits of this project include the electricity production that will offset part of SQU peak demand in addition to the avoided cost of using the conventional shading structures. The researchers contacted Jacobs International Engineering Consultancy LLC to support the project and they showed interested not only in providing the required funding but also in providing support to SME to engineer and construct the project.


Jacobs International Engineering Consultancy, LLC (JIEC) is an Oman-based international consultant providing engineering design, procurement, project and construction management throughout the Sultanate of Oman in the fields of Oil and Gas, Buildings, Infrastructure and utilities, Marine and environmental sustainability. JIEC is delighted to partner with SQU in the solar energy generation project. Moreover, JIEC is committed to support and mentor an emerging SME and already provided support for Nafath Renewable Energy to develop skills in project controls, financial management, health and safety culture development, and supply chain and procurement skills.


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