Caterpillar, a global equipment manufacturer, said a few days ago that it has provided hybrid energy solution technology for the microgrid of a gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including a battery energy storage system with an installed capacity of 7.5MW.

(Lithium battery energy storage system at Kibali Gold Mine)

Caterpillar provided controllers, two-way power inverters, remote monitoring technology, lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, and 36 diesel generator sets for the power system of the Kibali Gold Mine in Haut-Uele Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. The microgrid equipment reduces the on-site diesel power generation supply demand, which will reduce diesel consumption by about 3 million liters each year and reduce a lot of carbon emissions.

Rousseau Jooste, chief engineer of Barrick Gold's Africa and Middle East region, said: "By maximizing the use of renewable energy, we will provide continuous and reliable power for the Kibali Gold Mine at the lowest cost. We are studying and improving this hybrid energy solution."

This is one of many global projects that use battery energy storage systems and related advanced equipment to reduce fuel costs, transportation costs, grid costs, and carbon reduction targets.

According to industry media reports, the contract for solar + energy storage solutions at the Tinto bauxite mine in Rio de Janeiro, Queensland, Australia was awarded to the power station operator EDL. Similarly, Wärtsilä’s energy storage department recently stated that the company’s first battery energy storage project deployed in Australia will help reduce the operating time of diesel generators in local gold mines.

In other regions, Chinese solar inverter manufacturers will provide inverters and battery energy storage systems for a gold mine in Egypt. The deployment of the project will be undertaken by energy developer Juwi. Two nickel mines in Australia and an ilmenite mine in Madagascar also recently announced plans to deploy energy storage projects.

These are all energy storage projects that are planned to be deployed or are being deployed, and the Fekola gold mine in Mali opened a large-scale solar + energy storage project in April this year.

Mines are usually located in remote areas with limited or no grid connections, but the requirements for power quality are often high, which makes battery energy storage systems and renewable energy power generation facilities an ideal choice for power supply. In the foreseeable future, renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in mines and other remote, off-grid applications.

Lithium-ion battery (LIB) has become the main energy storage solution in modern social life. Among them, lithium iron phosphate batteries are a perfect substitute for lead-acid batteries, and are the first choice for grid-connected peak shaving, off-grid energy storage, photovoltaic energy storage, UPS, data center and other industries.

Solar power generation system with lithium battery energy storage system is a very promising clean energy.