Bill Gates-backed solar startups provide carbon-free energy to the mining industry

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In an effort to bring carbon-free power to heavy industry, Heliogen announced Wednesday that Rio Tinto behemoth mining plans to start solar technology at the largest open pit mine in California, located in Boron. Heliogen says this is the first thick solar technology to be used to power a mine in the United States, and possibly around the world.
Heliogen uses artificial intelligence and a series of 40,000 computer-controlled mirrors to harness the power of the sun, almost like smart magnifying glass. Rio Tinto’s first system will measure around 100 walking areas, Heliogen told CNN Business.

The startup says its HelioHeat technology can generate extreme heat – 1,000 degrees Celsius, or about a quarter of what is found on the surface of the sun. It is the type of heat needed to make cement, steel and in other industrial processes such as mining that usually rely on fossil fuels to power their work.

The story goes Rio Tinto (RIO), the world’s second largest mining company, Heliogen’s first named customer. The partnership is a key test of whether Heliogen technology can use fossil fuels instead of large-scale industrial power. And that could go a long way in combating the climate crisis.

“It’s not that this technology wasn’t possible before – just that it wasn’t cost-effective,” Heliogen founder and CEO Bill Gross told CNN Business in an email. “Heliogen’s breakdown is to make solar energy work densely after sunset AND be cost-effective compared to fossil fuels at the same time.”

The companies say the partnership with Rio Tinto will allow them to cut their carbon footprint – while at the same time reducing their energy costs.

“Our goal is to deliver completely carbon-free energy to Rio Tinto for less than the cost of fossil fuels and with zero emissions,” Gross said.

Bringing carbon-free energy to a nearly hundred-year-old mine

Heliogen, backed by Gates and biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, emerged from stealth mode in late 2019 by announcing a sunrise. For the first time, compact solar energy could be used to replace fossil fuels used in industrial processes. Last year, Time magazine named Heliogen’s HelioHeat technology on the list of the best innovations of 2020.

Now, Heliogen is working with Rio Tinto to use that technology.

Heliogen solar technology will be used to power the Rio Tinto borax mine in Boron, California. Located in the Mojave Desert, the mine is the largest of its kind in the world.

Rio Tinto plans to use the Heliogen platform to power the nearly hundred-year-old California mine-mining site, a mineral used in manure, heat-resistant glass for smartphones and laptops, solar arrays and wind turbines. The mine, based in Boron, supplies nearly half of the world’s vegetation for regenerated biomass, according to Rio Tinto.

The facility usually relies on fossil fuels for steam production. But the partnership is calling for Heliogen’s AI-powered mirror range to bring in 35,000 pounds per hour of carbon-free steam to power the site.

The companies said the technology could cut Boron’s carbon emissions by about 7% – the equivalent of taking more than 5,000 cars off the road. And the Heliogen system also captures and stores the clean energy to power the mine’s nighttime activity.

If this initial Heliogen installation is successful, Rio Tinto could reduce the use of the technology to reduce the site’s carbon footprint by up to 24%.

Rio Tinto is spending $ 1 billion to reduce its carbon footprint

The companies said they would start detailed design and get government licenses. The goal is to launch the Heliogen platform next year – and explore its rollout to other Rio Tinto sites around the world.

Anglo-Australian multinationals are hoping Heliogen will help them cut back on the goal of reducing emissions by nearly half by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. Heliogen provides, making up 14% of Rio Tinto’s direct and indirect emissions, known as Areas 1 and 2.

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“This partnership with Heliogen has the potential to significantly reduce our emissions in Boron using this state-of-the-art solar technology, and we look forward to exploring opportunities on throughout our global concern, “Rio Tinto President Jakob Stausholm said in a statement.

Rio Tinto has pledged to spend approximately $ 1 billion on emissions reduction programs through 2025. Heliogen’s partnership represents a multi-million dollar investment with Rio Tinto, Gross said, although the true cost has not yet been confirmed.

Rio Tinto is also hoping to repair its reputation after the company destroyed a sacred native site in Australia last year. When the 46,000-year-old Juukan Gorge Caves were destroyed in Western Australia, former CEO Jean-Sébastien Jacques resigned, who nevertheless received a large payout for 2020.
Los Angeles-based Heliogen uses solar energy to create the extreme heat needed for mining, steel, cement and other industrial processes. The solar area pictured is not from the Rio Tinto mine, which has not yet launched the Heliogen platform.

Using AI to fight climate crisis

Dense solar power is not new.

This use of mirrors to reflect the sun to a single point has previously been used to generate electricity and to create heat for industry. In Oman, it is used to generate carbon-free energy that can be used to drill for oil.

But Heliogen says this will take this a step further by using AI and other solemn technology to align thousands of mirrors to a single point, creating temperatures far warmer than was possible at the time. gone.

Now, Heliogen has to force industrial companies like Rio Tinto to mine fossil fuels for the sun.

“Heliogen is being attacked by customers from all over the world,” Gross said, “from every industry from metals, to cement, to utilities, to hydrogen production.”

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