Drilling rigs, associated gas recovery stations, fracking sites – these facilities are typically located far from the utility grid. Either they have no grid access at all, or the connection lead time can stretch from months to years. The conventional solution is simply to bring in a high-power diesel generator and run it 24/7 for months or even a full year. But when you dig into the numbers – diesel hauled over long distances, on-site maintenance crews living alongside the generator, the engine roaring day and night – the real cost of fuel, transportation, and labour adds up to far more than expected.
At the same time, the global regulatory landscape is tightening rapidly. In January 2025, the EU Methane Regulation took effect, banning routine venting and flaring in oil and gas operations and requiring full-chain methane monitoring and reporting. The IEA’s latest report points out that oil and gas decarbonisation is shifting from a “nice-to-have” to a “must-have”.
Diesel power is becoming more expensive and less sustainable by the day. The INJET HanCang diesel-storage hybrid microgrid was built precisely for these challenges.
The long wait for the “last mile”. In remote oil and gas regions, getting grid power is a battle in itself. Across many producing areas in Africa and Latin America, a large number of sites have no choice but to generate their own power. Grid expansion or a new connection often requires crossing tens or even hundreds of kilometres of uninhabited land, with permitting and construction timelines far longer than the actual operational window of most oil and gas projects.
The hidden costs of diesel generation go far beyond the fuel gauge. Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the highest average electricity tariffs in the world. Behind this is the high logistics cost of diesel delivery – transport to remote sites often costs as much as the fuel itself, sometimes even more. Meanwhile, generator maintenance depends on scarce technical specialists. Every breakdown means days or even weeks of lost production.
ESG pressure is rewriting the rules. Oil and gas operations account for about 15% of global energy-related emissions, and pressure from regulators, investors, and financial institutions is growing daily. International oil companies have already incorporated upstream carbon intensity into their core bidding and financing criteria.
Noise and compliance risks on site. In many countries, noise emissions from oil and gas sites have come under environmental enforcement. The constant drone of diesel generators disturbs both neighbouring communities and on-site personnel – night-time noise is particularly prone to triggering complaints and even work stoppages.
The INJET HanCang diesel-storage hybrid microgrid is a modular system that integrates battery storage, solar PV, and diesel generation. It is designed for off-grid, weak-grid, and emergency backup scenarios. Its operating logic is simple but highly practical for oil and gas sites:
· Daytime: PV first. If solar panels are deployed, the system prioritises PV power for the load, storing excess energy in the battery.
· When PV is insufficient: battery takes over. As solar output drops towards dusk or on cloudy days, the system automatically switches to battery discharge, postponing diesel generator start-up as long as possible.
· When battery is low: diesel backs up. When the battery charge falls to a preset threshold, the diesel generator automatically starts, runs at its most economical load – powering the load while charging the battery – then shuts down again.
The essence of this logic is to use the battery’s daily cycling capability to “absorb” the bulk of the power that would otherwise come from diesel, compressing generator run time to 30% or even less of its original level.
The INJET HanCang series features a proprietary EMS (Energy Management System) that enables seamless switching and intelligent coordination among PV, storage, and diesel generation. The system prioritises PV consumption, uses storage for peak shaving and valley filling, and keeps the diesel generator as a standby backup.
Diesel generator downtime >10 hours – real field data. At a large gas field in the Middle East, after deploying a mobile solar-storage-diesel hybrid system, the site achieved 8–10 hours of 100% renewable power supply per day, with an overall renewable penetration exceeding 50% over 24 hours. The diesel generator, which used to run non-stop, now enjoys long daytime shutdowns, and the on-site camp housing experienced daytime silent power for the first time.
A similar logic was validated at a natural gas exploration site in western China. After adopting the INJET HanCang microgrid solution, power supply to the workers’ living area became stable year-round: average daily diesel generator run time dropped from 24 hours to just 4 hours, fuel consumption was cut by over 65%, and annual diesel use decreased by tens of thousands of litres. The number of annual generator maintenance sessions fell from 4–6 to just 2, and night time noise pollution was also greatly reduced.
70% fuel savings – not out of reach. Turning the single cost of diesel generation into an optimised “PV + storage + diesel” combination saves not only fuel expenses, but also transport costs, maintenance costs, and the hidden costs associated with carbon emissions. In high-insolation regions around the world, solar PV is already far more economical than conventional diesel power.
Unplanned downtime: from “hugely expensive” to “almost zero”. A single unplanned outage at an oil or gas operation can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars per day. The INJET HanCang series integrates PV, storage, and diesel in a way that even if the diesel generator fails, the energy storage system can independently support the load for several hours – buying precious time for repairs and keeping critical site equipment running.
Behind the INJET HanCang series is Injet New Energy’s complete in-house R&D and manufacturing capability. Leveraging more than 30 years of industrial power electronics heritage from its parent company, Injet has independent research and development and independent control over five core technologies: BMS, EMS, PCS, PACK, and system integration. All key components are internally produced. The products have been deployed in national-level key projects across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, and are backed by dozens of technology patents and software copyrights.
Full-dimension active warning & remote operation. The system has a built in intelligent monitoring module that continuously tracks all core parameters – battery voltage, temperature, SOC, SOH, and electrical circuit data – with early alerts for any abnormality. A proprietary cloud platform enables remote status monitoring, parameter adjustment, and fault diagnosis. For oil and gas projects, this means no need to station dedicated electrical maintenance personnel at every wellsite – engineers can manage multiple remote sites from a city control centre, achieving true “unattended operation”.
High-level protection, unfazed by harsh conditions. The system has an IP54 ingress protection rating and C3 corrosion protection (upgradable). Its containerised structure operates reliably in severe outdoor environments up to 4,000m altitude – including desert oilfields in the Middle East, tropical rainforest zones in West Africa, and high altitude wellsites in the Andes.
Modular deployment, power on as soon as it arrives. The entire unit is pre assembled in the factory and fully integrated and tested before shipment. On site, no complex civil works are needed – a forklift or crane positions the unit and it is ready to run. Deployment lead time is compressed from months to less than one week.
Flexible cooperation models to lower capital barriers. For different customer operating profiles, the INJET HanCang series offers two paths: for long term oil and gas assets (e.g. permanent production wells, fixed stations), direct equipment purchase allows the asset to be capitalised; for short term drilling, temporary operations, or exploration projects, a full equipment rental model is available – flexible leasing aligned with project duration, no large upfront capital expenditure, and the service package covers transport, deployment, operation & maintenance, repair, and final recovery.
The global hybrid energy solutions market is growing fast. Within the oil and gas sector, the market for site power generation is also steadily expanding. This reflects not just a larger market, but a fundamental shift in industry thinking – the power supply logic at oil and gas operations is moving from “diese-only” to a new paradigm of “multi energy synergy”.
With countries introducing ever-stricter decarbonisation laws and ESG compliance requirements, and with diesel costs expected to continue their volatile upward trend, the diesel-storage hybrid microgrid is turning from a “nice-to-have” into a “must-have”. As more oil and gas companies discover that replacing part of their diesel generation with PV and storage not only cuts fuel costs and emissions but also raises on-site power reliability by orders of magnitude – the true industry inflection point will not be far off.
The INJET HanCang diesel-storage hybrid microgrid is a key step for oil and gas sites moving into that future.