Solar in Mining - Energy Demand and Storage Limitations

Implementing solar power in mining presents several challenges, despite its potential benefits for reducing carbon emissions and energy costs. In the next few article I will be outlining some of them, so lets get started.

1. Energy Demand and Storage Limitations

Mining operations have unique energy profiles due to their scale, processes, and the nature of the work. The key challenge with solar power in mining is balancing the high, constant energy demand with the intermittent nature of solar energy. Here are the major factors involved …

• Continuous Operations Many mining sites operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Critical activities such as drilling, blasting, ore hauling, crushing, grinding, and mineral processing require substantial and uninterrupted power supplies. Solar power, which is only generated during daylight hours, cannot always match this around-the-clock demand.
• Heavy Machinery Mining involves the use of large machinery (e.g., excavators, crushers, conveyors, and trucks), which are often powered by diesel or electricity. These machines consume a significant amount of energy. Solar energy alone may not be sufficient to run such high-demand equipment, especially in large-scale mining projects.
• Mineral Processing The facilities, especially those dealing with hard rock ores, require massive amounts of energy for comminution (grinding and crushing), flotation, smelting, and refining. These processes are continuous and energy-intensive, making it difficult for intermittent solar power to meet these needs reliably.
• Energy storage To overcome the intermittency of solar power, energy storage systems are needed to store excess solar power generated during the day and supply it during periods of no sunlight or high demand. However, there are several limitations:
• Cost of Storage The cost of large-scale battery storage systems remains a major challenge. Mining operations often need massive storage capacity to bridge the gap between day and night, as well as during periods of cloudy weather or high demand. Lithium-ion batteries and other storage technologies are expensive, which can make the overall investment in solar plus storage prohibitively high.
• Limited Storage Capacity Even with advanced storage technologies, current batteries have limited capacity and efficiency. Large-scale mining sites may require more energy storage than current systems can cost-effectively provide. For example, a mine might need several hours of stored energy to run overnight, but battery storage systems may only be able to provide a few hours at a reasonable cost.
• Degradation of Batteries Over time, batteries degrade and lose their storage capacity. This means mining companies would need to factor in regular maintenance and replacement costs, further adding to the long-term financial burden of integrating solar with battery storage.