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Solar power and battery storage have become the leading options for new grid power capacity across the world, so they’re also clearly top options for off-grid power. So, they are being used more and more for off-grid applications like mining.
We have the story this month of a gold mine in Bellevue, Western Australia, relying more and more on renewable energy. In fact, it recently operated for almost 6½ days — 155 hours — on 100% renewable energy.
The mining company is Bellevue Gold, and it’s using a hybrid microgrid that includes solar power, wind power, and batteries. It does include thermal generation as a backup power option. The microgrid system is being operated by Zenith Energy for Bellevue Gold.
“The system is designed to meet at least 80% of site energy needs from renewables, and moments like this show what that looks like in practice – especially with the right weather conditions,” Zenith Energy recently wrote on LinkedIn. “It is another step forward in Bellevue Gold’s journey as the world’s first net zero (Scope 1 and Scope 2) emission gold mine.”
