In 2022, the US set aside $500 million for its Clean Energy Demonstration on Current and Former Mine Land Program to create new opportunities for clean, stable, community-based energy generation centers on old mining lands. The DOE has also released $28 million in funding to advance hydropower research and development as part of a $20 billion.
Could abandoned mines be transformed into energy storage?
Technology may give them new life Michigan Technological University is studying whether communities could transform abandoned mines into valuable energy storage. University researchers are partnering with the Marquette County city of Negaunee, population 4,500, on a pilot project that could help mining communities turn liabilities into assets.
To assist mines specifically in accessing renewables, governments may need to review their tax exemptions and subsidies that currently apply to fossil fuel purchases or explore the possibility for carbon pricing or renewable energy portfolio standards (which can create tradable renewable energy certificates).
Can decommissioned mines be repurposed into underground pumped storage facilities?
Based on the study “Enhancing electrical grid and community resilience through repurposing decommissioned mines into underground pumped storage facilities” and funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the “PUSHing for Storage” report was issued in April 2022.
How does underground mining affect energy consumption?
Many of these activities can be electrified, allowing the use of more renewable based energy sources. Additionally, as the industry extracts more gold from underground reserves, the higher energy intensity of underground mining will further increase energy consumption.
Should mines integrate renewables?
For many mines, it only makes economic sense to integrate renewables to cover part of their load, for example, between 30% and 40% of total electricity demand -- using current renewable and control technologies (Guilbaud 2016).
Among other projects raising awareness and providing solid feasibility data, Tech's PUSH group is currently collaborating with Mine Storage, a Swedish company conducting numerous pilot projects to repurpose old mines. Mine Storage plans to site the first closed-loop underground pumped hydropower system in Sweden.