BUILDING SYSTEMS POWER ALTERNATIVES
Solutions for a hard-hit industry Advances in technology are also driving change for the mining industry in terms of the pool of metals and minerals that are considered a worthwhile investment. The growing popularity of electric vehicles is leading to an increase in the need for cobalt, lithium and nickel, which are important component parts of lithium-ion batteries, says John Lewis, Managing Director, Aggreko Africa, in an opinion paper. There are direct parallels from the mining industry for the built environment sector also. Pixabay
L
ewis explains that Aggreko Africa recently conducted a global survey to better understand the priorities of decision-makers in the energy sector. 50% of respondents said that cost is their primary consideration. But they also need to meet carbon emissions targets. There is a reluctance across the sector to invest in new green power sources with concerns it could soon be out of date as the pace of change seems to only be accelerating. The dilemma is how to integrate renewable energy into power solutions which require significant capex investment, when there’s a backdrop of commodity price volatility making investment unattractive. The Syama gold mining complex in southern Mali was able to balance this well. Aggreko signed a contract with mine owners in support of its drive to reduce carbon emissions and improve overall efficiency. Once installed, we will operate and maintain a 40MW thermal power plant and a 10MW battery storage system, with a further 20MW of solar power planned in 2023. The hybrid solution will reduce client’s costs by an estimated 40%. Once all the renewable power sources are fully installed, it will also reduce carbon emissions by approximately 20%. By using a rental option, Syama were able to de-risk
the investment into greener energy due to not having to invest capital into the power solution. Lewis says that capital investment in some mines, such as coal, has become difficult. There’s also risk in investing in the latest alternative technologies as and when they emerge due to the market changing regularly. At the Tasiast mine in Mauritania, an off-grid mine was powered by an inefficient fuel source and prone to regular breakdowns, incurring huge maintenance costs. With a life expectancy of the mine another decade, there was a need for alternative power for the longer term, and to alleviate the cost of short-term supply of diesel as subject to price volatility. ‘We offered a solution that was easy to integrate into their current power mix. Given it was a rental solution, it also gave the owners breathing space and time to review longer term power options for the remaining life of the mine,’ says Lewis. The use of hybrid power solutions at mines is only set to increase, while investment will continue to be driven by innovation in green technology. Finding nimble solutions, such as hybrids or microgrids, provides companies with the agility needed to respond to the quickly-evolving energy landscape.
volume 10 | issue 1 www.tobuild.co.za
TB29_Building Systems.indd 65
65
2020/02/23 11:39 PM
