Decarbonising mining of Australia's critical mineral deposits: Opportunities for sustainable mining through solar photovoltaics and wind energy integration

Abstract

Critical minerals are essential in numerous industrial applications, particularly those related to green energy production. Nonetheless, the mining and processing of these minerals are severely energy-intensive, relying predominantly on diesel, coal, and gas as sources of power in Australia. Consequently, the use of diesel, coal, and gas as power sources results in a substantial carbon footprint. An important research gap that remains to be explored in the Australian mining sector is investigating the potential for decarbonising the mining of critical minerals through the implementation of renewable energy to attain sustainable mining. This study examines the potential of using solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind energy towards the decarbonisation of critical mineral deposits, taking into account both the intrinsic mineral characteristics such as ore grade, ore depth, and co-existing mineral clusters, as well as external factors such as the capacity factor (CF) and the periods of low energy generation (lull times) of solar PV and wind, which are crucial in assessing the availability of the renewable energy sources explored. The results from this study indicate that a considerable number of critical mineral deposits in Australia are remotely located from the existing national transmission line infrastructure. These deposits often form geographical clusters and typically have favourable conditions for solar PV and wind energy implementation, characterised by high capacity factors and minimal lull times in solar PV/wind. This clustering presents a promising opportunity for powering mining activities with solar PV and wind energy, thus facilitating the decarbonisation of mining operations in Australia through the utilisation of shared renewable energy infrastructures. Moreover, the study identifies specific mineral deposits that are most suitable for decarbonisation with solar PV and wind energy integration. The research method used in this study proposes an evaluative framework that correlates the capacity factor of solar PV and wind with lull times from these sources, as well as with mineral intrinsic characteristics within deposits. This framework enables a comparative analysis of different deposits, assessing their relative suitability for the integration of solar PV and wind energy technologies. This framework is versatile and can be employed to assess different renewable energy sources, making it applicable to various global contexts. The findings from this study underscore the transformative potential of renewable energy sources, indicating that solar PV and wind energy offer new opportunities for attaining decarbonised and sustainable mining in Australia.