Caterpillar, the US-based heavy equipment manufacturer, showcased in November its first all-electric 793 mining truck prototype, with the company planning to test these electric haul trucks with mining partners across the globe starting next year, ahead of mass production in four or five years.
The company is also building a demonstration site at the Tucson Proving Ground, where solar arrays and wind turbines paired with batteries will generate and store renewable energy to create self-sustaining microgrids, while exploring on-site production of hydrogen for fuel. Furthermore, Caterpillar plans to install two wind turbines by next year that will generate about 3MW, as well as 18 megawatt-hours of on-site battery storage.
All this to showcase how mining customers can create their own “microgrids” using renewable energy like solar and wind and battery storage to help fuel Caterpillar’s electric trucks.
The green microgrid project at the Tucson Proving Ground is a part of Caterpillar’s efforts to reach its sustainability goals and the goals of mining customers looking to reduce their carbon footprints.
Furthermore, Caterpillar aims to make sustainable microgrid technologies affordable for customers, which is a priority, according to Caterpillar executive Denise Johnson.
“What we’re developing is a mine site of the future, so that we can demonstrate to our customers exactly what they need to transform with their mine sites,” Johnson says.
Also under consideration at Tucson is to produce hydrogen fuel for power generation using on-site renewable energy, as well as biofuel made from vegetable oils.
“We will use hydrogen as a storage mechanism, if we have access to wind or solar,” Johnson said. “Instead of just letting that go to waste, we will actually make hydrogen to store energy.”
Source: Tucson.com
Images Source: Caterpillar