The mineral sector is responsible for more than 38% of total industrial energy use and 11% of total final energy consumption. At the same time, the sector is coming under significant pressure to decrease the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gases emitted. It is technically feasible to power mining operations with hybrid power systems including energy storage and intermittent renewable energy resources. Energy storage technologies offer great possibilities for enhancing the output and maintaining stability of the power system. This research aims to gain an understanding of the economic potential of hybrid renewable power systems and the associated costs of risk and reliability for the mining sector. This will be achieved by developing an optimization model that accounts for technological trade-offs, and searches for the least-cost systems in relation to reliability and risk characteristics. The research findings could help increasing the uptake of hybrid renewable systems in mining and therefore help reducing the emissions of the industry.
- Biography
Joel is a Ph.D. student in Energy System Modelling and Energy Economics at University College London. His doctoral thesis focuses on understanding the economic potential of hybrid renewable power systems and the associated costs of risk and reliability for the mining sector.
He has an MSc. in Information Systems and Organization Research from the London School of Economics. He subsequently worked as a manager in Strategy Consulting and Transaction Advisory with Ernst & Young in Canada and the USA. Joel has over eight years of professional experience and worked with Fortune 500 clients and other market leaders in industries including: Bruce Power, Kinross Gold, Iamgold, Airbus, DHL, BlackStone, Canadian Tire, Kruger, Air Canada, Heinz, and the Hudson Bay Company.