Australian company makes plans to deliver its largest solar farm yet — and it’s set to power an unexpected industry
By Chelsea Cook | The Cool Down
The collaboration between these unexpected partners will certainly reduce pollution, and locals may look forward to lower energy costs.
In Australia, solar power has intertwined with gold mining to form an unusual yet beneficial partnership.
Pacific Energy, a Perth-based company specializing in off-grid power, is about to build its largest solar farm yet for the St Ives Gold Mine in Western Australia, as detailed by Renew Economy. The company has partnered with global mining giant Gold Fields for a special project that will ensure more than 70% of the mine’s energy comes from renewable sources.
This collaboration is part of Gold Fields’ 296 million Australian-dollar St Ives Renewables Project (about $188 million as of December), which includes a 35-megawatt (MW) solar farm and 42 MW of wind power. In addition to using more renewable energy, the project aims to cut the mining site’s carbon pollution in half by 2030.
Once complete, the added capacity for renewables will make the solar farm the largest hybrid investment in Pacific Energy’s portfolio and “the largest islanded hybrid power system in Australia,” according to One Step Off the Grid.
Pacific Energy is also involved in other renewable energy projects in Western Australia, such as providing hybrid solar, battery, and gas systems for Westgold’s gold mines, as Renew Economy reported. These efforts are helping to make renewable energy more accessible for industries with high energy demands.
Source: The Cool Down via MSN.com
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