Solar electricity prospects in Oman using GIS-based solar radiation maps

This paper discusses solar power prospects in Oman. First, the geographic and topographic information about Oman are presented. The methodology of producing solar radiation maps using GIS tools is then discussed. The results obtained show very high potential of solar radiation over all the lands of Oman during the whole year. A slope analysis has allowed calculating the yearly electricity generation potential for different Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) technologies such as the parabolic trough, parabolic dish, tower, and concentrated PV. For instance if only 10% of the land of Oman with a slope less than 1% is considered an exploitable land for the parabolic trough CSP technology, then the total calculated potential of yearly electricity generation would be about 7.6 million GWh, which is many multiples of (680 times) the current generation supply in Oman which was about 11,189 GWh in 2007.