Renewable energy in the mining industry is critical in the pursuit of a Net Zero future. Without the use of renewables, mining companies will struggle to reduce elevated levels of harmful emissions. These cleaner energy sources emit fewer greenhouse gases which assist mining companies in their pursuit of Net Zero.
Net Zero refers to when mining companies reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions to as close to zero percent as possible, with the assistance of renewable energy systems off-setting the level of emissions from baseload thermal fossil fuel generation. This is vital for mining companies to meet their ESG targets.
Renewables and the future of mining
According to Watson Farley & Williams, the mining industry is accountable for 4-7% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable energy offers sustainable energy that assists in decarbonization efforts. This type of energy assists power generation operations in balancing their carbon emissions to reach net zero. This balance can be achieved by utilizing a hybrid mix of renewable energy and thermal generation technologies, which drive down carbon emissions.
Renewables offer mines an advantage by providing environmentally friendly power that offsets carbon emissions, provides cleaner energy for each mining site and reduces dependence on dirty fuels.
Renewable options for mining
Mines around the world are moving to hybrid renewable platforms now more than ever before. Mining requires mechanical, thermal and chemical mineral resizing and separation and is often energy intensive. Renewable energy sources of electricity such as wind, solar, biofuels, and hyrdo utilizer the local, natural energy resource, which avoids dependence upon transportation and importing fuel oils and coal.
Green energy not only mitigates the effects of pollution, but also ensures that new mining technologies function sustainably and assist mining companies in pursuit of net zero.
Why is net zero important to ESG?
According to Wood MacKenzie research, between 50% and 80% of emissions released by mining operation comes from the power plants that support mining operations. This reveals that there will need to be significant levels of decarbonization to balance out emissions to reach net zero. USP&E is at the forefront of delivering renewable hybrid power stations to mining sites in Emerging Markets.
The environmental aspect of ESG concentrates on environmental management and displays how a mining organization works towards reducing its negative impact on climate change, promoting sustainable energy generation and reducing harmful emissions.
Overcoming the obstacles of renewables in mining
Three of the biggest barriers for many mining firms wanting to move to renewable platforms at their mining sites is energy reliability, generation technology integration, and energy storage. The mining industry requires energy that is dependable and available around the clock 24/7/365. Every hour a mine does not operate, it loses millions in revenues and puts the entire operation at tremendous risk.
When it comes to renewables such as wind energy and solar energy, there are times when the resource is minimal. This means that there is no solar or wind power being generated, despite the significant investment, which is not feasible for most mines. This, however, can be overcome with ultra high-efficiency base load thermal coupled with battery energy storage solutions.
Through USP&E’s Smartpower condition monitoring and hybrid power station control software, we take care of the hybrid renewable and thermal energy generation integration seamlessly. Smartpower uses machine learning to deliver a predictive analytics platform unlike any other on the market
Thermal generation coupled with battery energy storage paves the way for dependable renewables
USP&E offers highly efficient medium-speed and gas turbine-driven power generation configurations designed for base load use. Battery storage offers solutions to enable mines to access energy from renewables when the sun does not shine, or the wind does not blow. This valuable energy is stored in industrial-grade, containerized lithium-ion battery systems which allow industrial clients to store this energy. The key solution is having batteries that have the capacity large enough to power the mine when sudden cloud cover occurs so that there is several minutes for the thermal generators to come up to speed.
Energy storage technology is constantly evolving, becoming increasingly more effective and reliable. Recent energy storage advancements allow for enhanced modular and containerized packaging, rapid installation, and higher performance – making energy storage simple to set up and operate on the mines. This is due to the battery system being integrated into its housing and requires no complicated infrastructure.
New battery storage capabilities
New energy storage technologies have been entering the market rapidly as energy companies work towards increasing the capabilities of industrial-scale lithium battery systems and solving energy storage problems.
Advances in this technology can be seen in the electric vehicle market and other similar industrial sectors that rely on energy storage. The batteries available in the present industrial space are highly scalable, efficient, safe to operate, have faster-charging capabilities and are increasingly suitable to be integrated into baseload thermal and hybrid renewable applications.
American-based automotive and technology company, Tesla, is one of the industry-leading companies that develop high-performance batteries. They have been developing their latest battery platform known as the 4680 battery. This cutting-edge energy storage technology is being developed with the mission of achieving higher efficiency in charging and discharging.
The 4680 has increased energy density providing 6 times more energy output than its predecessor. This is among other improvements in stored power technology worldwide, supporting why energy storage makes sense for mining companies globally.
Make your transition to renewable simple with USP&E Global
USP&E has been implementing renewable energy solutions for large-scale industrial applications since 2002. With over two decades of experience with renewable energy, we have the experience and personnel to assist with any size industrial project.
USP&E offers modular containerized energy storage systems to support the use of renewable energy. These energy storage systems are designed for industrial applications such as mining, manufacturing, etc. The USP&E battery systems are ideal as they are fully able to be integrated with renewables, offer smart cloud-based monitoring and are scalable to suit your project needs.
Our team have successfully developed solar PV, wind and biofuel projects for our global clients. This has assisted our clients in their pursuit of Net Zero and made them increasingly compliant with global ESG standards. Moreover, our technology platforms and software allow for the most efficient operations possible, saving our clients millions on fuel costs while building a future that protects our grandchildren from harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Contact USP&E Global today at info@uspeglobal.com or visit www.uspeglobal.com to unlock innovative renewable technology for your mine.