Tag Archives: photovoltaic

Gold Road energises UEA renewables hub at Yamarna exploration camp

Gold Road Resources’ Renewable Energy Hub at its Yamarna exploration camp in Western Australia, designed and delivered by Unlimited Energy Australia, is now operating on renewable energy.

The hub was officially opened by WA Minister for Mines and Petroleum, Bill Johnston, at the end of last year.

The 187 kW system is comprised of a surface-mounted photovoltaic (PV) solar array including up to 580 solar panels with 60 cells each, combined with a 408 kWh TESVOLT lithium-ion energy storage system.

Unlimited Energy said the drive for this custom-designed system was the requirement to offset the use of existing on-site diesel generators, thereby reducing the associated carbon emissions, as well as the cost of diesel and related logistics and maintenance costs.

In this regard, the hub can reduce diesel runtime from 24 hours to 2.4 hours, producing in excess of 1 MWh of renewable energy every day, according to Unlimited Energy.

Sharon Goddard, General Manager – Social Performance & External Relations Gold Road Resources, said: “The minimum impact on the environment, modular design, ability to relocate, economic viability and extendibility of the system are the main benefits that led Gold Road to install Unlimited Energy Australia’s renewable energy solution.”

The modular energy hub design enabled fabrication to be completed off-site, thereby minimising installation time on the remote site, as well as the ability to relocate or repurpose the system to meet a variety of potential future exploration needs if required, according to Unlimited Energy.

In the early stages of the project, Unlimited Energy developed an Energy Optimisation Plan. Decisions pertaining to the technology solution, system sizing and installation were derived from the substantial amounts of load and demand data collected from the site.

Unlimited Energy Australia’s CEO, George Zombori, said: “We design energy solutions that meet the specific needs of our clients and make good economic sense. Tracking a client’s usage patterns is critical in designing a solution which drives energy and cost saving strategies.”

The company added: “The innovative design significantly expedited the installation process delivering a system that is reliable, re-deployable, modular and scalable.”

Torsten Ketelsen, Managing Director Unlimited Energy Australia, said: “We know that there is a perception that battery storage technology is an emerging technology, so eliminating the risk was of utmost importance to us. Our TESVOLT technology selection ensures one of the safest battery cells on the market, long-term performance warranties and batteries that have been tried and tested in conditions common in such remote Australian locations.

“Our successful deployment of this system will certainly provide confidence to the resources sector that these technologies are now readily available, technically advanced and economically viable to serve their energy needs.”

Nordgold looks to the sun for Bouly, Bissa mine power

Nord Gold has entered into an exclusive agreement with Total Eren, an independent power producer (IPP) specialised in renewable energies, and Africa Energy Management Platform (AEMP), its strategic development partner, to construct a 13 MW solar photovoltaic power plant for its Bissa and Bouly gold mines in Burkina Faso.

Construction of the power plant will begin shortly, with completion expected in the December quarter of 2020, Nordgold said.

“The new Solar PV will provide Bissa and Bouly with power for both mines’ daily operational needs, thereby significantly reducing reliance on the existing thermal power plant,” the company said. “In addition to significantly enhancing the environmental sustainability of the mines, the solar plant will increase security of supply, and reduce costs at both mines.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Total Eren and AEMP will develop, finance, construct and operate a solar PV plant complemented by a battery energy storage system, reducing the mine’s fuel consumption by approximately 6.4 million litres and CO2 emission by approximately 18,000 t/y, the company said.

This type of project is not new to Total Eren. The company, in tandem with other partners, previously started up a 15 MWp solar power plant for IAMGOLD’s Essakane mine in Burkina Faso, in 2017 (pictured).

Nordgold’s Bissa gold mine was launched in January 2013 followed by, in September 2016, the Bouly mine.

The new solar PV plant will also create a number of full-time roles for local employees in addition to over a thousand currently employed at the mine sites, according to the company.

Nikolai Zelenski, Chief Executive Officer of Nordgold, said: “By building this new solar power plant, not only will we improve the efficiency of our mines by creating a more secure power supply at lower cost, but we are also helping to make our Burkina Faso mines far more sustainable, while minimising our carbon footprint.

“We already have in place a number of important environmental initiatives aimed at protecting biodiversity around our mines. The installation of a solar power plant at Bissa and Bouly, Nordgold’s key assets in terms of production, is in line with our strategy of implementing the best environmental standards across our operations”.

Anglo’s O’Neill sets 12-month goal for hydrogen-fuelled trucks

During Anglo American’s 2018 sustainability performance presentation this week, Technical Director, Tony O’Neill, said the company was working on an innovative solution to power haul trucks by hydrogen using solar panels.

By oversizing the photovoltaic generation capacity at a site, the company would be able to capture enough hydrogen to potentially power a haul truck.

O’Neill said this was all part of the company’s plan to create a “smart energy mix that allows us to become carbon neutral”.

“That leads us straight to hydrogen,” he said.

The approach the company is working on required a different mindset from O’Neill and his team.

“What some in my team have done is say, ‘OK, we’re not worried about a return. As long as the project washes its face, what does that do?’ And, what does it do, particularly, if you oversize your power consumption enough that you can actually generate hydrogen?”

The decision-making process changes with such a viewpoint, he said.

“All of a sudden, we had enough hydrogen, so we could stick it in our trucks. We looked at the trucks and re-engineered the way they work. Voila, we found we could get 5-10% more out of our trucks,” he said.

And, this line of thinking and re-engineering has allowed O’Neill to make a bold statement:

“Our aim, is to get, hopefully, in the next 12 months, a truck running around using hydrogen.”

Solutions like these could provide energy security, price resilience, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, move Anglo to a “hydrogen economy”, and help it develop the next generation mining vehicles, the company said.

Aggreko to deliver renewable power microgrid to Gold Fields’ Granny Smith mine

Gold Fields’ Granny Smith gold mine is set to install one of the world’s largest renewable energy microgrids powered by more than 20,000 solar panels and backed up by a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, according to mobile and modular power company Aggreko.

The mining company has contracted the Scotland-based firm to design, build and operate the 8 MW solar power generation system along with the battery system at Granny Smith, which is located east of Laverton in Western Australia’s Goldfields region.

In June, said it was working with Gold Fields on plans to provide 7.3 MW of solar power generation, as well as a 2 MW/1 MWh battery system, to be integrated with the existing gas supply as a hybrid power station.

Gold Fields Executive Vice President Australasia, Stuart Mathews, said: “We are thrilled to reach an agreement with Aggreko for the design, installation and operation of this innovative source of renewable energy which will generate nearly enough power to run the mine’s processing operations.

“We expect the renewable power microgrid will be up and running at Granny Smith by Q4 (December quarter) 2019 and it will be a welcome addition to our suite of on-site energy solutions across other operations which will enable us to reduce our carbon footprint,” he said.

Construction of the renewable energy system is planned to commence in May and, when completed, will be one of the world’s largest hybrid off-grid microgrids, integrated with Aggreko’s existing 24.2 MW natural gas generation.

Aggreko AusPac Managing Director, George Whyte, said the solar, thermal and battery storage assets will be seamlessly integrated and managed by Aggreko’s control software platform – maintaining full system availability and optimising the lifetime of existing thermal assets.

Whyte said: “The solar-plus-battery system is projected to reduce fuel consumption by 10-13% – the equivalent of removing 2,000 cars from the road – and produce about 18 GWh of clean energy per year.

“Gold Fields understands the performance, cost and environmental advantages for their operation, as well as the need to integrate this resource into their system without compromising power supply reliability or mining productivity.”

While the solar photovoltaic (PV) will reduce the need to run thermal generators, the battery plant will provide essential services such as spinning reserve displacement, PV ramp rate control and transient voltage/frequency support.

The current Granny Smith power station was designed and installed by Aggreko in 2016 and the new hybrid power system, combined with a thermal station expansion, will meet the increased daily power needs of 24.2 MW, with 12.2 MW allocated to the Wallaby underground mine and the remaining 12 MW to the processing plant, associated facilities and mining camp, Aggreko said. Granny Smith produced 290,000 oz of gold in 2017.