Will the potential for 50% CO2 reduction from electrification with wind power be physically possible for the oil/gas industry?
Wind power as decarbonization means for the oil and gas industry and the related challenges, one of which is the viability of offshore wind in production – findings based on studies and simulations for two decarbonizing projects done by ConWX.
There is no doubt that wind power will be a substantial part of the electrification of the oil and gas industry, however, not all wind power produced can be integrated into the power management system for decarbonization. We are still facing a relatively high rate of curtailment and usage of gas turbines.
It is important to have a clear picture on the predictability of power forecasts that will be used in the power management system. At ConWX found that a more conservative forecasting approach, than normal nomination, needs to be applied to provide the oil/gas rig with power on a continuous basis.
ConWX has recently performed backtest analysis for two oil electrification projects and we have valuable results from those studies, where historical measurements were used for the simulation of trained historical power forecasts for each individual rig location.
The biggest surprise for our clients is the power fluctuation pattern for offshore wind turbines placed in the North Sea.
In the analysis, we simulate the value and the size of energy storage and its influence on the energy mix, including gas turbine, wind power, and battery.
Any management system needs an uncertainty indicator on the very short term. We present situations where the coming wind power production is too unpredictable to be used for such a management system with the consequence that gas turbines must be running regardless of any wind power production.
Our simulation calculates the saved CO2 emissions in two different electrification scenarios – one with a combined system using wind power, storage, and gas turbines and the other using only wind power.
Do you want the details from the analysis? Contact us here.
