Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector
The drought that occurred in Zimbabwe in 2020 affected the country’s main hydro-power station causing the electricity supply to be less secure and reliable. This challenge resulted in load-shedding, which is not desirable to mining companies that require constant and reliable power for their operati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3740 |
| _version_ | 1797529177093570560 |
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| author | Anesu Maronga Kumbuso Joshua Nyoni Paul Gerard Tuohy Agabu Shane |
| author_facet | Anesu Maronga Kumbuso Joshua Nyoni Paul Gerard Tuohy Agabu Shane |
| author_sort | Anesu Maronga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The drought that occurred in Zimbabwe in 2020 affected the country’s main hydro-power station causing the electricity supply to be less secure and reliable. This challenge resulted in load-shedding, which is not desirable to mining companies that require constant and reliable power for their operations. In that regard, a techno-economic analysis was carried out to assess the potential of integrating concentrated solar power (+thermal storage) and photovoltaics (+battery storage) to supply power at a typical mine in Zimbabwe. Two scenarios were simulated—a base case with no exports to the grid and another case where exports were allowed. The models were evaluated based on the generated renewable energy offsetting the demand from the mine, the energy exported, the grid contribution, the levelised cost of electricity and the net present value. The results show that the addition of a battery storage system to PV improves the percentage of the load offset by the renewable system and the generated energy by the renewable system by almost double. However, the installation cost, required land, LCOE, and simple pay-back also increased by approximately a factor of 2. The addition of a thermal storage system to CSP increased the generated energy, the capacity factor, and the renewable energy contribution by approximately a factor of 2. However, the land required for development and the installation costs also nearly doubled. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:10:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bac8d80cbb994972820f0923ab3369d7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:10:02Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-bac8d80cbb994972820f0923ab3369d72023-11-22T01:15:04ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732021-06-011413374010.3390/en14133740Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining SectorAnesu Maronga0Kumbuso Joshua Nyoni1Paul Gerard Tuohy2Agabu Shane3Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKDepartment of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKEnergy Systems Research Unit (ESRU), University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKSchool of Mines and Mineral Sciences, Copperbelt University, P.O. Box 21692, Kitwe 10101, ZambiaThe drought that occurred in Zimbabwe in 2020 affected the country’s main hydro-power station causing the electricity supply to be less secure and reliable. This challenge resulted in load-shedding, which is not desirable to mining companies that require constant and reliable power for their operations. In that regard, a techno-economic analysis was carried out to assess the potential of integrating concentrated solar power (+thermal storage) and photovoltaics (+battery storage) to supply power at a typical mine in Zimbabwe. Two scenarios were simulated—a base case with no exports to the grid and another case where exports were allowed. The models were evaluated based on the generated renewable energy offsetting the demand from the mine, the energy exported, the grid contribution, the levelised cost of electricity and the net present value. The results show that the addition of a battery storage system to PV improves the percentage of the load offset by the renewable system and the generated energy by the renewable system by almost double. However, the installation cost, required land, LCOE, and simple pay-back also increased by approximately a factor of 2. The addition of a thermal storage system to CSP increased the generated energy, the capacity factor, and the renewable energy contribution by approximately a factor of 2. However, the land required for development and the installation costs also nearly doubled.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3740electricity supplyminingconcentrated solar powerthermal storagephotovoltaicsbattery storage |
| spellingShingle | Anesu Maronga Kumbuso Joshua Nyoni Paul Gerard Tuohy Agabu Shane Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector Energies electricity supply mining concentrated solar power thermal storage photovoltaics battery storage |
| title | Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector |
| title_full | Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector |
| title_short | Evaluation of PV and CSP Systems to Supply Power in the Zimbabwe Mining Sector |
| title_sort | evaluation of pv and csp systems to supply power in the zimbabwe mining sector |
| topic | electricity supply mining concentrated solar power thermal storage photovoltaics battery storage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/14/13/3740 |
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