Oil company’s lubricant factory goes 100% solar in Dubai

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Emirates national oil company (ENOC) announced that is has installed a rooftop PV array on its lubricants and grease manufacturing plant (DLPP) in Jebel Ali. By the company’s account, the site can now run on 100% solar PV generated energy. The company released the news at the 20th Water, Energy, Technology & Environment Exhibition (WETEX), organized by Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), held in Dubai this week.

Saif Humaid Al Falasi, Group CEO of ENOC, said: “As the energy partner committed to fuel the growth of Dubai and the UAE, we are continuously looking for opportunities to contribute to the development of the country’s assets and key infrastructure projects, while aligning our strategic goals with the UAE’s larger mandate aimed at diversifying the energy mix.”

The company did not disclose the system rating of the array but did, however, highlight that more than 300 panels were installed. These would generate over 160,000 kWh/year. This suggests a system rating just short of 100 kW. Reportedly, the factory’s annual energy consumption is 156,000 kWh, or the equivalent of seven average households in Dubai, according to a company announcement. Any excess energy would be fed into the power grid.

ENOC says that its installation is in line with the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050. Thereby Dubai aims to achieve to cover 7% of energy needs from clean energy resources, by 2020. Gradually this would be increased to 25% by 2030, and 75% by 2050.

“Over the years, we focused on utilizing clean energy sources that will help reduce our dependence on fossil fuel generated electricity and minimize environmental impact. The installation of solar panels at DLPP makes it the first facility of its kind in the UAE, which will generate clean energy on-site. This will further enhance the operational efficiency of the plant and help us achieve new benchmarks in resource management,” added Al Falasi.

Already, ENOC has installed solar canopies atop nine of its petrol stations and vowed to power all future petrol stations using solar PV. In late September this year, ENOC inaugurated the latest of its petrol stations of this kind, claiming that the 120-kWh array produces 30% more energy than needed by the petrol station. The excess energy would be fed into the grid, furthering the country’s clean energy plans.

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