How solar for mines helps to reduce operational costs and achieve a lower carbon footprint

Reliance on third-party infrastructure a significant risk for mines

The outlook for the mining industry in South Africa was a mixed bag in 2018 with bulk commodity prices continuing to rise from their lull at the beginning of 2016, while precious metals continued to struggle. Cost increases have put the mining industry under significant pressure and although price plays a crucial role in profitability, there are large fixed-cost elements associated with mining. Thus maintaining and ensuring optimum production levels plays a significant role in achieving profitability. 

This is why reliance on over-stretched third-party electricity suppliers such as Eskom can compromise profitability. In PwC’s annual publication highlighting trends in the South African mining industry it was reported that one of the significant subcategories driving risk is reliance on third party infrastructure with the cost and availability of electricity and water still a concern.

Mining facilities that typically rely on diesel electricity can use a solar microgrid to reduce the overall cost of energy, increase energy resiliency, thus ensuring control of their energy and power requirements. SOLA’s energy storage services department has considerable experience in combining battery storage solutions and existing generators in microgrid systems ensuring a continuous, uninterrupted electricity supply which is integrated with all other power sources.

Namibia and Botswana considering a 20-year, 4.5 GW solar push

‘The market for electricity produced by the mega-solar projects in Botswana and Namibia includes 12 other countries in the region that could be connected via new and/or upgraded transmission infrastructure,’ – WEF

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council on Energy, has revealed that the governments of Botswana and Namibia are planning to develop 5 GW of solar capacity over the next two decades. Namibia and Botswana are considered perfect candidates for solar owing to their high solar radiation, strong legal and regulatory environments, suitable land availability and potential to host a low-cost, efficient electricity market to meet rising demand in the region. It has been suggested that this ambitious project, if completed, could lead to Namibia and Botswana exporting power to South Africa.

Botswana, a founding partner in a responsible mining initiative

Reducing carbon emissions is part of a global trend in the mining industry. Bloomberg reported last month that an explosive demand for renewable energy is expected to drive a global rush of exploitation, thus Botswana, the US, Australia and Peru are founding partners in an initiative to encourage responsible mining of rare earths and other minerals used in renewable energy projects such as solar panels, wind turbines and car batteries. 

Botswana’s mining industry contributes a third to the country’s GDP and 50% of tax earnings, and although the last quarter has seen a dip, economic growth is projected to pick up to 4.6% in 2020, supported by ongoing structural reforms aimed at diversifying the economy. It is perfectly primed to implement solar energy storage for mines owing to high solar radiation, the remote location of its mining facilities, weak grid supply and reliance on diesel.

Projected economic growth in Namibia in 2020

The IMF reports that Namibia’s economy will return to growth in 2020 after contracting for three straight years, though a failure to implement structural reforms could contribute to sluggish growth. Namibia has the second highest solar irradiation levels in the world, thus making solar energy storage for mines an appealing option.

No longer a question of if, but when

‘Industries that aren’t moving towards zero-carbon emissions will be punished by investors and go bankrupt’

Industries that aren’t moving towards zero-carbon emissions will be punished by investors and go bankrupt, warned the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, last week. Thus renewable and storage technologies present the perfect solution by reducing energy costs while improving power quality and lowering carbon emissions.

The climate crisis will have a real financial effect on all major industries. Last Tuesday Carney told large corporations that they had two years to agree to rules for reporting climate risks before global regulators devised their own and made them compulsory.

Energy autonomy or supplementing grid supplied energy with embedded energy generation are both solutions to optimising production costs and reducing carbon footprint. Solar PV is both a cost-effective and decentralised form of energy, making it perfect for mines and other large scale energy-producers choosing to supplement their supply.

 Off-grid solar provides the ideal energy storage solution for mines. Remote locations, weak grid supply and reliance on diesel provide the optimal business case for solar PV microgrid. To test if your mining facility is suited to making the switch to off-grid make use of SOLA’s user-friendly mining tool.