MINE POWER
juwi Renewable Energy , the Australia subsidiary of juwi , delivered a 4 MW Single Axis Tracking PV installation together with cloud forecasting and an advanced micro-grid control system to enable integration with the mine off-grid network at Agnew ( photo : juwi )
PV / gas / diesel power station at Gold Field ’ s Agnew gold mine , in Western Australia , and the 10.6 MW solar hybrid system at Sandfire Resources DeGrussa copper mine , also in Western Australia .
The Agnew installation is part of a wider 56 MW project comprising four key components controlled by an advanced microgrid system . This includes five 110 m wind turbines , each with a rotor diameter of 140 m , delivering 18 MW ; a 10,710-panel solar farm generating 4 MW ; a 13 MW / 4 MWh battery system ; and an off-grid 23 MW gas / diesel engine power plant .
The DeGrussa installation , meanwhile , used 34,080 solar PV panels and required electrical
infrastructure to be installed , including inverters , transformers and other electrical accessories and
control systems .
Amiram Roth-Deblon , Head of Global Business Initiatives at the company , said its next mining project is likely to be in Africa , with several developments being finalised to move into construction in 2021 .
“ Our juwi Hybrid IQ micro-grid control system is going to be deployed once more to deliver best in class reliability and the lowest cash operating costs ,” Roth-Deblon said .
Charging up
The markets for hybrids have continued to grow in the face of COVID-19 , with many participants expecting the pace of acceleration to keep increasing .
Whyte said : “ More and more miners and project owners are realising the ability of hybrids to reduce emissions and costs whilst maintaining a reliable power supply for their project ’ s operations , as well as meeting a range of local requirements on emissions and energy production in different markets .”
“ We expect to see an acceleration of current trends of renewable integration in the next 3-5 years and beyond as technology develops and demand increases at a rapid pace .”
Miners are increasingly coming to Aggreko earlier in the process to investigate the possibility of integrating renewables into their mine plans , he said . Aggreko can employ several technological applications when performing feasibility studies , such as software-aided modelling and intelligent design features , to aid the process .
“ These allow us to map the specific needs , limitations and unique considerations of each site in order to provide the most cost-effective , low emissions solution , whilst maintaining the required stability in energy generation ,” he said .
The hybrid take-up in mining has also been affected by changes in technology .
Aggreko has recently launched Aggreko Solar Power , a 1 MW modular solution managed by intelligent software able to integrate with battery storage products and thermal generators , which , the company says , further allows customers to incorporate renewable power into their processes with greater ease .
Roth-Deblon says there have been some fundamental changes in the power generation capabilities of renewable solutions , too .
Progress
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