BP Amoco boosts solar in gasoline stations

BP Amoco plc plans to install its own solar power technology in 200 of its new gasoline stations around the world over the next 2 years.

The company said solar panels will help to meet the electric power needs of all new BP Amoco service stations slated to be built in the U.K., Australia, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Portugal, and Spain.

A typical installation would incorporate up to 400 of BP Amoco's solar panels in the canopies above the pumps. The 200-station program is expected to cost $50 million and require 3.5 MW of solar power generation capacity.

Solar advantages

BP Amoco claims the solar panels will generate more clean energy than is consumed in meeting the stations' lighting and pump power requirements. The installations will be connected to local grids so that excess electric power can be exported during the day and the shortfall imported at night.

BP Amoco Chief Executive John Browne said, "Our own use of solar power is an example of BP Amoco's commitment to tackling the issue of climate change.

"Not only will BP Amoco be one of the largest producers of solar photovoltaic cells in the world, but also it will be one of the largest single users of solar power.

"By installing solar panels at such a large number of sites across the world, we will also learn and add to expertise in handling issues of grid connection, contribute to the standardization of equipment, and drive down costs for all our solar customers."

The decision to install solar panels at gasoline stations follows a pilot program within BP Amoco involving 19 existing service stations in Europe, Australia, Malaysia, and the U.S. The pilot program will also be extended with the construction of new prototype sites in France and the U.S.

The announcement follows BP Amoco's decision to buy out the interest of Enron Corp. in a solar power joint venture with the former Amoco Corp., to create an integrated solar power company called BP Solarex (OGJ, Apr. 12, 1999, p. 25).

Solar strategy

At a BP Amoco shareholders meeting in London on Apr. 15, Browne told the audience that, while no amount of investment in renewable energy can overlook the fact that the world needs oil and gas in the immediate future, renewable energy will provide a significant portion of the world's energy by the middle of the next century.

"That's why we have doubled our investment in solar power over the last 2 years," said Browne, "and it is why we acquired Enron's stake in Solarex. We are now the leading solar company in the world.

"We are determined to use that base to develop both the technology of photovoltaics and the market for solar power. But solar is a long-term business.

"It will take at least a decade of research and development to make it a viable commercial proposition."

In the meantime, Browne said BP Amoco is committed to a set of progressive actions that include reducing emissions and producing a new choice of clean fuels: "We want to show, through practical actions, that oil and gas can be produced and used without causing harm to people or to the natural environment."