Case studies
These are case studies of three operating mines. Each one already runs solar and batteries beside the mine.
Gold Fields. A 4 MW photovoltaic system with a 13 MW / 4 MWh battery, commissioned in 2020 and integrated with wind and gas and diesel generation.
About $1.5 million a year from a 20–25% reduction in diesel. Earn-back of 3–4 years with grants. About 46,400 tonnes of CO2e a year, and about 2–3 million liters of diesel a year.
B2Gold, Mali. A photovoltaic plant commissioned in 2021, described in the deck as 30 MW and scaled to 8 MW in the example, with a 4 MW / 3.75 MWh battery.
About $1.33 million a year, plus about $0.241 million in carbon credits. Earn-back of about 2.5 years on a $3.2 million net capital cost. About 3,200 tonnes of CO2e a year, and about 2.5 million liters of diesel a year.
Gold Fields. An 8 MW photovoltaic system with a 2 MW / 1 MWh battery, commissioned in 2020 and integrated with gas generation.
About $1.2 million a year from a 10–13% reduction in diesel. Earn-back of about 3 years on a $3.5 million net capital cost. About 3,000 tonnes of CO2e a year, and about 1.8 million liters of diesel a year.