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The requirement for energy is increasing on a large scale in the industrial and domestic sectors due to the rapid industrial growth and human living standards. International organisations are creating strict laws and guidelines at the same time to limit the usage of traditional fossil fuel-based electricity generating. Additionally, fast-developing countries like Oman are putting numerous plans to integrate renewable energy in the residential and industrial sectors as part of their commitment to lessen the potential for global warming. The government is taking proactive steps to use solar-based systems in household applications because Oman has a strong potential for using solar power and has a high demand for electricity from the residential sector. Since Oman has a promising potential to use solar power and a large demand for power from the residential sector, many steps are being taken to use solar-based systems in domestic applications. Presently, the hot water needs of domestic as well as many industrial consumers are met by grid electricity. The solar PV technology is a desirable alternative for using renewable energy. However, installing a solar thermal energy conversion system is a potential way to use solar power for producing hot water because solar thermal collectors have a greater conversion efficiency (55–75%) than PV collectors (10–20%). Thermal energy storage systems are also essential for the efficient use of solar thermal energy. Phase change material (PCM)-based thermal storage, one of the more modern technologies, has been recognised as a dependable solution in earlier investigations. However, for this strategy to be successfully applied in a particular location, it is necessary to analyse the quantity and quality of solar energy available. In this study, the technical feasibility of using PCM thermal storage to supply 200 litres of hot water per day to a residential building is examined. The size and specification of the thermal collector have been selected based on the simulation studies. For this purpose, the system advisor model (SAM) of the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), USA, and the weather data of Shinas, Oman, from the NASA database were used. To store 6 MJ of heat collected per day from two solar thermal collectors, 50 kg of paraffin wax having a melting point of 60oC was used. An experimental setup has been fabricated as per the optimum design parameters identified from the simulation studies in SAM, and tests have been conducted to find out the performance of the system. According to the findings, the system could save 1168 kWh of AC electricity annually. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The date palm tree is a very important crop that is grown on a large scale in Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman. Date palm stems and leaves come in large quantities as agricultural residues. The stem and leaves of date palm trees, which are common in the Al-Batinah region, might be easily and cheaply used to extract large amounts of fibre. Moreover, they have durability, as well as various strand textures. Using natural fibres made from renewable resources benefits the environment in terms of waste material use and eco-friendly disposability. Due to their availability, widespread use, renewable nature, cost-effectiveness, and eco-friendliness, natural fibre composites have become the focus of research and development. Use of composite materials has grown more common in vehicle, aircraft, marine, and civil structures due to their balanced mechanical qualities. By fortifying the fibres into polymers, properties including compression, impact strength, hardness, and flexural strength of the composites must be ensured. To create fibre/epoxy composites with improved qualities, date palm fibres are more reliable. However, the strength and properties of the fibres may not be the same for the trees grown in different regions. Therefore, in this work, the strength of the composite produced from DPFs of local varieties is tested for the above-specified mechanical properties. The major objective is to find the possibility of using waste date palm tree fibres (DPF) to get a good natural polymer composite which and can be used for different applications. A suitable epoxy has been used as the binder, and the absorbent nature of DPF is controlled by using sodium hydroxide. After treatment, it enhanced the properties of composites. The maximum impact strength and flexural strength of the composite were observed at 21.42 kN/m and 260.41 MN. which proves the reliability of the local DPF for many high-tech applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of Oman's vision 2040, electricity from renewable energy should replace 30% of the country's total power by 2030. Furthermore, the power for electric vehicles is expected from renewable power. Recently the Oman Authority for Electricity Regulation (AER) revised the tariff system and due to this generating of energy from solar energy is becoming popular. To implement the PV technology, many challenges including cost of electricity, technological growth and policy must be addressed. Grid Connected PV (GCPV) system may be one of the options to overcome the above issues. It could decrease peak load demands, besides contributing to eco-friendly power generation. This paper investigates the techno-economic and environmental aspects on implementing PV power for electrification of Suhar City which is situated in the northern part of Oman. Photovoltaic (PV) systems can be installed utilizing the available rooftop spaces in the premises and the empty land around the buildings. A 1400W PV system available in Sohar University (SU) was used to collect the required data. The system was simulated in HOMER Pro, and the major parameters needed for the proposed study were analysed. The results showed that the investment in PV system, in Sohar city can be promising. The system showed the yield factor as 1923.6 kW h/kWp/year. Moreover, the proposed system had a capacity factor of 21.7%. The cost of energy and payback period were 0.146 USD/kWh (0.056 OMR/kW h) and 4 years respectively. However, many other factors due to economic challenges, Government policies and social acceptance must be resolved to establish a viable market for PV technology in Oman. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sultanate of Oman, a country of subtropical dry climate and extreme temperature variations is keen in to escalating the percentage of green electricity component in power systems and reduce the global warming potential of its energy sector. Literature shows that more than 40 % of the total electricity demand is from residential customers and out of this, 70 % is owing to space-cooling loads. Average annual solar irradiance in major part of the country is 5.8 kWh/m2/day which attracts Photo Voltaic (PV) technology for power generation. Since the electricity tariff has been changed recently, replacing the grid electricity with the Solar PV power could be an attractive option. Therefore, the feasibility of using PV power for a 3.5 kW domestic cooling system was modelled in RETScreen software, and the major parameters related to feasibility were calculated. A 3 kW PV array with 300 W modules was uses as the power plant. Capacity factor in the region was taken as 20%. Total annual electricity exported to the air conditioning system was calculated as 5431 kWh. Annual income which can be generated from the PV electricity while exporting to the grid was 679 $. When the Natural gas based combined cycle power plant is replaced with PV, the emission of Green House Gases (GHG) will be controlled and it accounts to 3 tons of CO2 (tCO2). Financial analysis of the project showed that the simple payback period could be 11.7 years with a negative Net Present value (NPV) of 785 $ without any subsidy for the investor and without considering any GHG reduction income. RETScreen financial feasibility analysis showed that the project could be feasible if the authorities give a subsidy for the investors, atleast 20 % in the initial investment and adopt GHG reduction rate of 20 $/tCO2. Simple payback period became 8 years with a positive NPV of 1615$. The analysis revealed that project could be attractive and feasible with the subsidies and policy making for the GHG credit rates along with the expected project life of 25 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]