The contemporary world is now facing what has been described by many scholars and scientists as the challenge of the century : climate change. Strong actions must be taken as soon as possible in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. On every scale, from the individual to the most influential countries and companies, everyone has a part to play in securing a safer future. Specifically, some mining companies, leading the way in a very emitting industry, are getting more involved in the global effort by fast-tracking their decarbonization process. They have a promising predisposition, and much to gain.
This research paper deals with the design and sizing of a vanadium flow battery storage system coupled to a wind farm. The case study is an off-grid mining site that currently meets most of its vast energy needs with fossil fuels. The ambition of this mine is to fully decarbonize all its operations, thus completely freeing itself from the need for diesel. A comprehensive study of the industrial site characteristics is proposed, including the thermal and electrical demands on the 25 kV grid.
The construction of a new wind farm is being developed to significantly increase on-site renewable power generation. Despite this, a small portion of the diesel generators must remain in operation during and after the decarbonization effort, as they serve the purpose of generating an amount of heat that could not be reasonably obtained from renewable sources. Redox batteries will complete this energy mix. To shape all of this, a model is created to simulate the behavior of the mine’s grid, based on different possible configurations in terms of the number of wind turbines, battery capacity, and generators connected to the grid. This robust model uses real figures from previous years’ measurements and reports, adapted with certain assumptions to produce all the data needed to develop an economic study on the feasibility and profitability of the project.
Several scenarios are proposed depending on the important criteria selected. According to the model used, the greatest possible diesel savings occur with a system of 12 additional E-115 wind turbines, a 20MW/160MWh redox battery and no generators kept on continuously. The diesel savings amount to 64 % for approximately 68,000 tCO2 equ. avoided. Other opportunities for the company to decarbonize its operations are also discussed, and there are many.
| Date | 20 Apr 2023 |
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| Original language | French |
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| Awarding Institution | - École de technologie supérieure
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| Supervisor | Daniel Rousse (Supervisor) |
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Robert, A. (Author),
Rousse (Supervisor),
20 Apr 2023Student thesis: Master's thesis › Master in Engineering: Engineering