(to view the video presentation associated with this post fill in the form below) Energy is a major cost component for miners, especially for mines located off-grid, and in areas of erratic power supply and weak power infrastructure. Combining wind and/or solar with existing fossil generating plants (e.g gensets) can help to economically meet the power Read More
THEnergy signs a contract with an international renewable energy finance company to support in the development of a pipeline for off-grid projects Munich, October 2015 – A renowned international finance company has mandated THEnergy to build a pipeline of off-grid renewable energy projects. Its subsidiary is establishing an off-grid fund with a planned EUR 100–200 million Read More
By Ryan Jansen and Damian Rohraff There are several off-grid communities and industrial sites in Saskatchewan that use diesel generators to meet their electrical power needs. Generally these systems are able to perform their basic function and provide reliable power. However, they present some challenges as well. Fuel costs make up the bulk of operational expenditures Read More
The genset industry reacts to growing hybrid markets with a new approach that overcomes limitations of traditional gensets and reduces operating costs for mining companies. Munich/Copenhagen, October 2015 – Gensets are typically optimized for efficient operation at their optimal load points. In so-called solar–diesel hybrid applications, gensets balance the intermittencies from the solar plant – for Read More
Australia’s first commercial solar plant used to displace diesel has commenced operation at mining giant Rio Tinto’s Weipa bauxite mine in Queensland. US-based PV manufacturer and developer First Solar’s 1.7MW capacity plant is expected to generate 2.8GWh of electricity each year. It will provide up to 20% of the daytime electricity demand of the remote mine’s Read More
“Mining companies are looking for opportunities to use economic forms of alternative energy in order to reduce their reliance on stand-alone diesel generators and the generation of greenhouse gases,” says R. Brent Murphy, Vice President of Environmental Affairs at Seabridge Gold. For its KSM project in British Columbia which will be grid connected, Seabridge Gold has Read More
Christo Oliver is Principal Electrical Engineer at Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore. He is participating in a panel discussion on how mines are looking to secure their power supplies for their operations at the Renewables and Mining Summit & Exhibition on July 1-2 at the Hilton, Johannesburg. Here he discusses the mine’s energy challenges, consumption and Read More
Tom Georgis, Senior Vice President of Development, SolarReserve provides insight on SolarReserve’s large-scale baseload solution for a Chilean mine and the scope for further collaboration between mining and solar in the Chilean market. “Some miners will start with solar by integrating PV into their diesel power systems for fuel abatement,” he comments. “It’s a good way Read More
Sandfire Resources, a Western Australian gold and copper miner, is set to build one of the largest off-grid solar-PV plants at its DeGrussa mine near Wiluna in the far north Goldfields of Western Australia. The project will integrate a 10.6MW solar array and 6MW of battery storage with the existing 20MW diesel generator, with the aim of Read More
More mining companies are recognising the benefits of using wind power in remote locations to cut diesel fuel bills and ensure secure supply. Mines are often seen as dirty, energy-guzzling operations, having little regard for environmental concerns. But this is starting to change as mine owners turn to renewable energies — mainly wind and solar — Read More
