18,000 solar panels help power Rio Tinto mine

Australia’s first commercial diesel displacement solar plant has been switched on at Rio Tinto’s remote Weipa bauxite mine.

The Weipa Solar Plant will generate electricity for the mine, processing facilities and township on the Western Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.

“This power purchase arrangement is an opportunity to trial the introduction of an alternative power source such as a solar plant into a remote electrical network like the one here in Weipa,” said Rio Tinto General Manager Weipa Operations Gareth Manderson.

“At peak output, the 1.7 MW capacity solar plant has the capacity to generate sufficient electricity to support up to 20% of the township’s daytime electricity demand.

“We expect the energy from the solar plant will help reduce the diesel usage at Weipa’s power stations and save up to 600,000 L of diesel each year. This will reduce Weipa’s greenhouse gas emissions by around 1600 t per year, equivalent to removing around 700 cars.”

The solar plant is also expected to produce an average of 2800 MW hours of electricity per year. The electricity from the 18,000 advanced First Solar photovoltaic (PV) modules that have been connected to Rio Tinto’s existing mini-grid will be purchased by Rio Tinto under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement.

First Solar said the plant demonstrates that PV-diesel hybrid projects can also be as reliable as stand-alone diesel-powered generation.

“In recent years, attention has been focused on the technical challenges of high-penetration PV-diesel hybrids. At the Weipa Solar Plant, First Solar is seeking to deliver a reliable electricity supply without diverting capital costs away from Rio Tinto’s critical mine operations,” said First Solar Regional Manager for Asia Pacific Jack Curtis.

“Proving this commercial model has the potential to be a watershed moment for the diesel hybrid application globally.”

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), who supplied $3.5 million worth of funding for the first phase of the project, said this is the first time a remote Australian mining operation has been supplied with power from solar PV on this scale. They anticipate it will bolster the mining industry’s confidence in renewable energy as a reliable off-grid power source.

Image courtesy of ARENA

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