Abstract:

The paper looks into renewable energy options for pre-heating the intake air in remote mines in northern communities, which now rely only on diesel fuel to meet their heating demands. The established system is complicated, with several stakeholders, high operating expenses, and a large carbon impact. The possibility for a remote mine to attain 100% renewable penetration form solar energy resources is assessed in this article, with a case study for a mine in the Canadian northern communities. This study examines the current energy situation in remote mines and communities by taking into account various parameters such as economic infrastructure, operating and capital costs of current systems, and installation and operation complexity to identify barriers to switching from conventional systems to renewable energy sources. A comprehensive analysis of two scenarios is also provided. RETScreen Expert software is utilized to identify the techno-economic and environmental sustainability of establishing an integrated solar energy system in these remote communities. The proposed scenarios presented a high potential to minimise fuel consumption, operational costs, and CO₂ emissions.

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Prof. Reyhaneh Tavakoli