Oman- SQU to use parking lots to produce solar energy

6/30/2016 7:13:39 AM

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat-

To make good use of its parking areas the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) is planning to install 675 photovoltaic (PV) panels at a cost of RO216,000, Dr Abdullah Hamed al Badi, dean of the College of Engineering at SQU has said.

Dr Abdullah Hamed al Badi

''After our successful environment-friendly house project, we got this idea of using parking spaces to create electricity instead of putting solar panels on rooftops. Some SQU graduates who formed a student company are working on the project,'' he said.

SQU, represented by the College of Engineering, is working on finding new ways of creating energy and has come up with the idea of utilising a number of uncovered parking lots to produce electricity.

''There are so many ways to utilise solar energy. There are traditional ways of using it for direct heating as well as modern methods of converting solar energy into electrical energy using photovoltaic cells,'' Dr Badi said.

The working principle of photovoltaic is to absorb sunlight and convert the rays into electrical energy.

The sultanate''s geographical location helps it receive an estimated 5,500-6,000kWh of sunlight per square metre in July and 2,500-3,000kWh per sq metre in January.

In the sultanate, more than 340 days in the year are sunny.

''Oman has vast potential of solar power. Therefore, it is feasible to use this energy and we encourage people to do so.''

Dr Badi said the cooperation between the university and international research institutions has helped gain experience in this area and SQU has been able to conduct a number of researches on renewable energy.

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