In this context, integrating PV systems with abandoned land in open-pit mines offers a mutually beneficial solution that can enhance land use while promoting renewable energy generation. This approach avoids encroaching on productive land and leverages the existing mining infrastructure.
These attributes make them an effective complement to large power grids and a substitute for 'greenfield' energy projects. Viewing such deployments as a specialized form of centralized PV generation can contribute to the optimization of energy structures in mines.
Rio Tinto performed a feasibility study on the introduction of a wind power system at the Diavik mine beginning in 2008. Based on the results of a 3-yr meteorological survey on wind resources, it was decided to introduce a wind power system in 2011, and in 2012, four 2.3 MW wind turbines were installed that rose 64 m above the ground.
Solar farms often compete with agriculture and ecosystems, but repurposing abandoned mines could offer a solution. We assess global open-pit mining sites as potential solar hubs, analysing their technical feasibility and deployment timelines under diverse future scenarios.
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