ThinkGeoEnergy – Geothermal Energy News

Powering the mining sector in Chile

Mining activities in Chile need and use great amounts of power that renewables could generate. Solar and wind power are good solutions but geothermal can provide baseload power for an industry that operates around the clock.

Chile has seen some impressive economic growth in the last few decades and part of that success can be traced back to its successful mining sector.

In a recent article from Renewable Energy World, the somewhat troubling issues for this sector regarding energy demand are brought up. The same source states that renewable energy is clearly a solid candidate to supply the mining activities (where between 10-40% of the costs can be related to energy prices according to the article) and since Chile has to import most of their coal and natural gas from neighbouring countries, the final price for renewables is not that far off.

The biggest concern, is the lack of baseload capabilities for solar or wind power and in the article they mention several ways different companies are trying to tackle the issue. It is also somewhat surprising that there is no mention to geothermal power, a viable source of energy with great potential in Chile that has yet to be exploited and also solves the current dilemma of other renewables.

New technologies can surely be developed and perfected, but geothermal is plentiful and available to be exploited in the country.

To read the full article, please follow the link.

Source: Renewable Energy World

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