GlassPoint Solar, the leading supplier of solar for the oil and gas industry, recently announced the opening of a new office in Bakersfield and the appointment of two oil industry veterans to accelerate project deployment in California. GlassPoint’s solar technology generates steam needed for thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR), an extraction technique used to produce nearly half of California’s oil. By using solar instead of gas to generate steam, GlassPoint can help California oilfield producers reduce production costs and curb emissions.

“Demand for GlassPoint’s technology is growing across the world, including here in California where we offer oil producers a significant cost advantage,” said Sanjeev Kumar, GlassPoint Senior Vice President of Project Development, North America, “Large-scale solar oilfield projects in California are poised to generate millions of dollars in economic activity while creating local jobs and improving the environment.”

Michelle McGarry joins GlassPoint as Director of Project Development, Americas, where she will lead regional sales and commercial developments. Previously, McGarry was a Director of Downstream Consulting for IHS and held engineering and business development roles at Shell and WorleyParsons. Olu Adeoye joins GlassPoint’s Bakersfield office as the company’s California Program Manager. Drawing on 20 years of engineering and project management experience with large oil companies such as Chevron and Shell, Adeoye will oversee oilfield integration and execution of large-scale solar EOR projects.

“The single largest operating cost for a heavy oilfield in California is fuel purchase for steam generation. GlassPoint offers a lower cost alternative to generating steam by using California’s abundant sunshine,” said Michelle McGarry, “In today’s low oil price environment, GlassPoint can play an important role in helping producers reduce costs and optimize their recovery strategy.”

The expansion comes on the heels of GlassPoint’s recent ground-breaking for Miraah, a 1,021 MW solar thermal project under construction on Petroleum Development Oman’s Amal oilfield in south Oman. Once complete, Miraah will rank among the world’s largest solar plants of any kind.

GlassPoint also operates a commercial pilot in McKittrick, California. The project, commissioned in early 2011 with Berry Petroleum, recently surpassed more than 2,000 safe operating days without Lost Time Injury (LTI). “GlassPoint has established a track record of delivering projects safely, on time and on budget in Kern County and around the world,” added Olu Adeoye, “We look forward to building on that momentum as we expand operations in California.”