Integration of Solar Cells in Selected Petroleum Refinery Units at Al-Qayarah and Baiji Refineries

The incorporation of renewable energy sources into petroleum
refining processes is a critical step towards achieving sustainable
industrial processes and reducing the carbon footprint of energyintensive processes. The study addresses the critical challenge of
energy sustainability in Iraq's petroleum refining sector, where
conventional energy consumption patterns are a main contributor
to greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs. The goal of
this research is to study the technical and economic feasibility of
the integration of photovoltaic solar power systems in two of the
biggest Iraqi oil refineries: Al_Qayarahand the Baiji Northern
refinery. The methodology employed involves extensive field data
collection, energy consumption modeling of operating refinery
units, and careful simulation modeling using the support of PVsyst
software for designing grid-connected photovoltaic systems.
Energy consumption patterns were analyzed systematically using
different processing units, and the overall consumption was 1267
kW for Al_Qayarahrefinery and 18 MW for Northern refinery.
Solar system specifications were calculated strictly, requiring
2304 solar panels of 550 Wp capacity each for Al_Qayarahand
32,725 for the Northern refinery, covering 5,889 m² and 83,647
m² areas respectively. The high-level novel results indicate
tremendous renewable energy potential, with anticipated annual
outputs of 2255.8 MWh for the Al_Qayarahrefinery and 31.838
GWh for the Northern refinery, with performance ratios of 86%
and 85.2%, respectively. The validation results guarantee
significant environmental benefits, with an approximate reduction
in annual carbon dioxide emissions of 47,798.1 tons for
Al_Qayarahand 32,799.43 tons for the Northern refinery. These
findings prove the technical feasibility and substantial
environmental advantage of solar energy's large-scale integration
in petroleum refining operations, providing an integrated
framework for renewable energy deployment in the industrial
process in Iraq