Renewable energy in the mining industry: Status, opportunities and challenges

• Published in: Energy strategy reviews 2024-11, Vol.56, p.101597, Article 101597
• Main Authors: Li, Xuexian, Gu, Qinghua, Wang, Qian, Luo, Jiale, Liu, Di, Chang, Yu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Challenges; Mining industry; Opportunities; Potential assessment; Renewable energy (RE)
• ISSN: 2211-467X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.esr.2024.101597

Currently, the mining sector is confronted with declining ore grades, volatile energy prices, and environmental pollution from massive carbon emissions. Due to the advantages of RE in terms of emission reduction and cost, some mining companies are actively exploring integrating RE in production to alleviate these challenges. At the same time, the integration of RE in mining sites also faces many obstacles. This paper highlights the importance of incorporating RE into mining projects through a comprehensive review of existing research and analyzes the opportunities and challenges from multiple perspectives. Finally, the conclusions summarize the gaps in existing work and provide appropriate recommendations. The paper aims to inform and provide implications for the transition to RE practices in the mining industry. •This paper highlights the importance of integrating renewable energy (RE) into mining projects by a comprehensive review.•The feasibility and application potential of integrating RE in the mining industry are analyzed from multiple perspectives.•The current techno-economic analysis and MCDM for the deployment of RE projects in the mining industry are reviewed.•The advantages and opportunities of RE in mining are summarized in four areas: economic, environmental, social and policy.•The barriers are analyzed from five perspectives: technology, expertise, financing, legislation and related interests.