Should energy storage be a key issue in mining?

The second place that energy storage emerged as a key issue was less expected: in their vision of “smart” and “sustainable” mines, mining companies see advanced energy storage as a key component of the so-called “future of mining” and their vision of the “mine of the future”.

Can energy storage be a source of untapped financial value for mining companies?

In the first two modalities of decarbonisation, energy storage becomes a source of untapped financial value for mining companies. As demand for renewable energy generation and storage grows, the demand for products that only mining companies can produce also grows, from lithium and cobalt and manganese to copper and aluminium.

Which mining sites have large battery storage?

An example of a mining site with large battery storage developed by JUWI on the African continent is the Sukari solar plant in Egypt for Centamin. The plant comprises a 36 MW solar farm and 7.5 MWh battery energy storage system commissioned in late 2022.

Why is energy storage a challenge in the mining industry?

The challenge, however, is that the mining industry requires an immense amount of energy storage capacity and for much longer time periods than much of the current battery technology can provide. “We are hoping that as the technology grows, [the storage capacity and duration] will increase.”

Can abandoned mines be turned into energy storage?

Turning abandoned mines into energy storage is one example of many solutions that exist around us, and we only need to change the way we deploy them,” concludes Behnam Zakeri, study coauthor and a researcher in the IIASA Energy, Climate, and Environment Program.

Should mining companies invest in energy storage?

If the goal of for-profit companies is to extract as much profit as possible, then energy storage emerges as a convenient reserve of both economic and moral value that mining companies (and perhaps mining companies alone) are well-positioned to exploit.