savings that renewable solutions offer and include wind and
solar into the power mix.
As renewable microgrids develop in size and complexity,
technology relentlessly advances, material costs drop, and
hybrid solutions improve to ensure seamless integration
of power sources and seamless reliability, renewables are
becoming an inevitable part of mining power solutions.
An average size off grid mine with a 30MW power plant will
probably burn about USD1.4-billion of diesel fuel over a
20-year period, which is about one third of the total cost of
the mine. In Australia, the mining industry has realised that
renewable energy offers a cheaper, cleaner and smarter way
to power their operations, and there is already significant
interest in the use of renewables in the sector.
The global mining industry consumes about 400TWh of
electricity a year, posing a significant opportunity for hybrid
renewables to be part of the energy mix. Stephen Hanson,
COO of international renewables company juwi says that
currently, just 0.1% of power supply on mining sites
comes from wind and solar, with only 2240MW
of wind and solar PV installed.
“We are already starting to see mines transition to fully electric
operations, as there are multiple benefits. The economics of
a 100% renewable energy site are almost there, and with the
introduction of hydrogen, we are almost certainly going to see
100% renewable energy-powered operations in the near future.”
Manning says that the biggest benefit for mines employing
renewables is cost reduction, and the ability to reduce their
carbon footprint. “Another important related benefit is energy
price certainty – with the inclusion of renewable in hybrid
solutions, the mine is able to reduce its exposure to oil price or
electricity price volatility,” says Manning.
“We have developed a state-of-the-art integration system
with our hybrid IQ solution that ensures a seamless power
supply. At the core of the system is a micro-grid
controller and SCADA system that incorporate
all generation and distribution assets from
wind, solar and battery to gas, diesel,
heavy fuel oil and even hydrogen
generators,” says Manning.
"Manning says that the
biggest benefit for mines
employing renewables is cost
reduction, and the ability to
reduce their carbon footprint.
The hybrid IQ system also
includes enabling technologies
such as cloud and wind
forecasting which further
optimises performance.
Dave Manning, juwi’s global head
of hybrid, says that in Australia
there is already widespread
consensus in mining that,
a 50% renewable share at
Australian mine sites should
be considered the norm,
and where possible 100%
renewables should follow.
“Mines are most interested in solutions that can reduce costs
and carbon emissions,” says Manning. “The most advanced
options to deliver this are hybrid systems that integrate solar,
wind and batteries with diesel, gas or heavy fuel oil generators,
without compromising reliability or power quality.
Canadian mining company B2Gold’s solar farm in Namibia.
40
African Mining April 2020
www. africanmining.co.za