Duwayno Robertson, Principal Energy Storage Consultant, Power Grids APAC Energy Systems, DNV

"The best place to start is determining as much as you can about your existing load profile, energy demands, and the opportunities of your site to leverage variable generation resources."

With 20 years experience in transportation and energy conversion including systems integration, field engineering, technology validation and manufacturing quality assurance, DNV’s Duwayno Robertson has worked on some of the automotive industry’s first hybrid vehicle systems, he has also worked with a wide range of energy storage systems including, lead acid, ultra-capacitors, nickel metal hydride, and lithium ion.

Energy and Mines: What are the key differences and considerations for mining and renewables experts when integrating a small vs large amount of renewable energy for a remote power system?

Duwayno Robertson: Small and large projects are going to be more similar than different. Developers should plan similarly for both projects; determine your specific operational requirements, evaluate technologies against your specific needs, model the theorized system, then plan for deployment, commissioning, O&M, and decommissioning. From there, the differences will center around costs and complexity. There will be some technologies that will be better suited for larger systems and vice versa. But that should be determined in the evaluation phase.

EandM: What are the latest technical due diligence and safety best practices for highpenetration renewable energy projects for mining companies?

DR: Fire safety and due diligence is probably the most discussed aspect of renewable energy projects. Although we are at the early stages of a growth industry, there are best practices being leveraged to ensure that projects are deployed safely, and fire risks are being managed. UL 9540a is one such standard.

EandM: What lessons can be learned from current hybrid projects for mines on how to evaluate different technologies?

DR: One key lesson to be learned is that the best place to start is determining as much as you can about your existing load profile, energy demands, and the opportunities of your site to leverage variable generation resources. Knowing this will give you the ability to evaluate and model technologies against your specific application. We see clients not effectively accounting for this at the start. Some are relying on nameplate energy values and in most cases, these technologies require a deeper level of assessment.

EandM: With energy storage economics improving, is storage becoming standard for mining hybrid projects?

DR:: This is true for lithium battery storage. Although lithium prices have risen due to recent global events, the pricing still makes it a “must consider” technology. Other technologies will have a longer runway to confirm their ability to be technically competitive against lithium today and cost competitive against lithium tomorrow.

EandM: What do you see as the next milestones for energy innovation?

DR: One milestone for energy innovation will center on advancements in material science and the improvement of the specialty products that comprise energy storage and renewable technology. Another is the improving the implementation and management of distributed energy resources.

Duwayno Robertson is participating in the Panel: Developing Roadmaps to 100% Renewable Energy Mining, September 6, 3:20 PM, Energy and Mines Australia Summit, Sept 6-7