Solar heating can be used in mining industry

Solar heat energy sources have traditionally been applied to water heating for geysers, as the technology had not until recently been developed sufficiently for use in commerce and industry. However, the second-generation technology is now market-ready in South Africa through OptimumPM Energy.

OptimumPM chief executive officer and founder, John Shiri has been at the forefront of this evolving technology and has developed innovative solutions that will optimise the use of electricity in the mining industry. According to Shiri, what is lacking with new and existing mining operations is fully integrated, real-time power monitoring systems that can be integrated into mine control systems, as well as alternative powered devices and power generators to supplement power form the grid.

Power use must be monitored

"The mining industry requires integrated, real-time monitoring capability that continuously analyses the entire use of power across the mine. The electrical equipment or circuits being monitored should ideally be classified according to their criticality in the mine. This information should then be fed into the mine's power control system to adjust power across the mine. In this way, non-critical equipment can be switched off to manage peak loads - something which is not currently standard practice," says Shiri.

Shiri advises that the industry needs to start looking at solar or wind power to substitute grid power for parts of operations powering, or to power surface buildings. More solutions could include the use of solar powered devices to reduce the load including solar powered flood lights, LED solar street lights and mobile solar LED light tower; solar based cooling systems for use in ventilation and cooling systems in mines, and solar water heating for change rooms.

Solar cooling systems

A solar cooling system - or absorption chiller - uses heat energy, requiring no moving parts, to condense the higher pressure gas back into a liquid. Absorption chillers have the advantage of using either solar heat inputs or waste energy inputs and are extremely low electricity consumers, typically requiring just a small pump to move the liquids around.

These absorption chiller cooling systems can be used in a variety of applications that require cooling, including mining, abattoirs, butcheries, industrial fridges, florists, perishable storage, process plants and even mortuaries.