Electric Vehicles and Battery Storage Require Increased Mineral Production. How does the Mining Industry Meet Demand While Coexisting with Local Communities?
247Solar Inc, presents a renewable energy power plant to supply an Australian mining operation and a nearby indigenous community.
A new report from the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) and UNIDO ITPO Germany highlights significant opportunities for mining companies that operate near off-grid or grid-underserved communities to leverage their investments in renewable energy. The report’s foreword makes the case.
Forward
“The global mining sector is currently facing a conundrum. As a growing energy and emission-intensive industry, the mining sector continues to be exposed to policy and regulatory risks arising from concerns of climate change and impacts on the environment.” At the same time, “decentralised renewable energy (DRE) offers a variety of benefits, such as a reliable and modern electricity supply, cost reduction, reduced environmental impacts, as well as the potential to mitigate climate change at scale.”
Inclusive mining – the concept of sharing DRE systems with surrounding communities, will help ensure sustainable mining practices while increasing electricity access to underserved regions. It will also enable miners to avail themselves of funding opportunities for their DRE projects and realize ESG benefits they would otherwise miss. Read the full report here, and check out the case study it includes of a 247Solar inclusive mining project under discussion in Australia. Download the full ARE-UNIDO report here.
Case Study | 247 Solar & Australia
This case study is situated close to an aboriginal community in Queensland, Australia. The community is currently connected to the national grid. 247 Solar is going to install a hybrid-renewable energy grid for the project, owned by a local mining company (80%) and the local community (20%). The renewable plant will feed 100% of the mine’s electricity demand, its campsite, and an export jetty. Additionally, the grid will meet 50% of the community’s electricity demand with renewable power, sourced from the microgrid.
This is an example of satisfying the electricity needs of a mine and a community sourced from the same grid, thus significantly contributing to the achievement of SDG-7, decarbonisation, job creation, climate change mitigation, and the expansion of social infrastructure, such as the health centre and school.
Download the full ARE-UNIDO report here.
Contact
Mark von Keszycki, Marketing & Communications Director, mark.vonk@247solar.com
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