Focus on Coal
Exploring alternative energy options for mine sites
How can the potential negative legacy of a mine site be converted into a positive inheritance for the wider environment and local communities? Peter Whitbread-Abrutat and Nick Coppin report.
¿Cómo se posible convertir el legado potencialmente negativo de una mina en un patrimonio positivo para el medio ambiente en general y para las comunidades locales? Informan Peter Whitbread-Abrutat y Nick Coppin.
Wie kann die eventuelle negative Altlast eines Bergwerks in einen positiven Nachlass für das nähere Umfeld und die Gemeinschaft umgewandelt werden? Peter Whitbread-Abrutat und Nick Coppin berichten.
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Fig. 1. Mine and quarry sites can offer opportunities for access to deep geothermal resources.
ecent imaginative alternative energy projects give good grounds for confidence that many former mine sites can be ideal locations for developing alternative energy
generation facilities – simply by looking in a new light at some of the properties that made them problematic in the first place. Possibilities range from wind, solar
photovoltaics, geothermal power or heating, energy crops and mine methane to bioreactor landfills, hydropower and test-beds for a variety of more experimental power generation technologies.
As with any development, mine site
conversion to alternative energy generation must of course take due account of impacts on the local environment and communities. But done well, these can provide extra economic value from the site during the mining operational phase as well as ongoing value after operations have ceased in the form of an alternative income stream over the long term. Specific benefits can include the mitigation of
clean-up costs, re-using infrastructure to reduce decommissioning cost, enabling re-employment of a skilled mining workforce and/ or new local employment opportunities, and a clean and usually quiet after-use for a mine site that can also create a potential source of carbon credits with tradable value. Te total carbon footprint of the site can be significantly reduced, as well as providing clean energy for society and helping towards climate change objectives. So why might mine sites prove to be ideal locations for the generation of alternative energy? First and maybe most obvious, they often
cover extensive areas of up to thousands of hectares or more where wind and solar power structures have less environmental impact and are therefore less likely to meet opposition. Tey often already have the necessary electricity transmission lines and transport infrastructure in place, avoiding extra capital costs. Land transaction costs are generally lower and the process simpler because brownfield areas tend to be owned by fewer landowners than a similar area of greenfield. Brownfield redevelopment for green energy can reduce development pressure on greenfield sites, so maintaining their carbon sink benefits. Other forms of re-development may not be an option due to the remoteness of the site, or the environmental conditions may rule out residential or commercial use without significant extra development cost.
Wind power
Large-scale wind energy projects are an increasingly common alternative energy use on former mine sites, particularly in Europe and the USA. Just one example is the planned largest wind farm in Virginia, eastern USA. One hundred and sixty-six turbines sited on over 4000 hectares of land disturbed by coal and hard rock mining activities will be able to supply 65 000 homes, with 99 per cent of the land remaining usable for other activities including farming. Te visual impact of wind turbines may be less controversial in areas already affected by mining landscapes. Mineral waste dumps
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