Caterpillar dealer Ferreyros has been selected by Ferrenergy, Ferreycorp’s energy company in Peru, to provide a microgrid power system for the Agromin La Bonita underground copper mine in Acarí, Peru.

Supplied by Ferreyros to support a power purchase agreement between Ferrenergy and the operators of the Agromin La Bonita mine, the system includes more than 2,400 ground-mounted photovoltaic solar modules. Together, they will supply a total of over 960kW of energy, twelve 75kW power inverters, a 1.5 MVA power transformer, and a 500-meter medium-voltage transmission line.

The solution will help to provide power around the clock for mine lighting and ventilation, ore processing, and workforce accommodations.

“Southern Peru features some of the highest photovoltaic power potential in the world, making it an ideal location for a solar microgrid system,” said Bart Myers, general manager for Caterpillar Large Electric Power Solutions.

The hybrid energy solution will include:

Solar PV modules;

A microgrid master controller, which keeps loads continuously energized;

Connect remote asset monitoring to provide data visualization, reporting and alerts;

Bi-Directional Power (BDP) inverters and Energy Storage System modules, which use advanced lithium-ion batteries.

This follows a trend in the mining sector to rely on on-site renewable energy to provide a cost-effective and reliable power supply, especially for mine sites that operate off the grid.

On the opposite side of the world, an example of this can be seen in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, which is set to be home to the first major iron ore mining operation in Australia to be run entirely off renewable energy during the day.