Envision Energy’s new AI-powered system can help mining companies decarbonise

Résumé détaillé

Envision Energy’s new system combines wind, solar, batteries and AI to help remote Australian mines cut diesel use, emissions and electricity costs.

Envision Energy, a global green technology company, has unveiled a new hybrid energy system that integrates wind, solar, battery storage and AI, and is designed to power Australia’s mining and smelting operations in remote sites. The integrated architecture can also be extended to serve broader industrial loads and weak-grid power markets across Australia.

Announced at All Energy Australia in Melbourne recently, the AI-powered system can help one of Australia’s most emissions-intensive industries achieve its goal of net zero by 2050, while lowering electricity costs and improving reliability.

By operating in remote locations, mining projects often have a weak connection to the national electricity grid or work entirely off-grid. As a result, they rely on diesel-fuelled generators for an uninterrupted supply of power to their machines and equipment, such as drills, pulleys, belts, lighting and ventilation systems. This usually comes from a bulk supply of fuel that’s transported over hundreds of kilometres and kept on site in large storage tanks.

A report earlier this year by The Australia Institute found mining companies used 8 billion litres of diesel for their operations in 2023-2024 — a quarter of Australia’s total. It states that electrifying the mining industry has “significant potential to reduce the amount of diesel used in Australia, simultaneously improving liquid fuel security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions”, while cutting production costs.

Kane Xu is the Senior Vice President of Envision Energy and President of Envision’s International Product Line. He says Envision’s grid-forming battery energy storage system (BESS) and AI capabilities are turning variable wind into predictable, schedulable power to support Australia’s firming capacity needs.

“Remote mine sites are normally not connected to the grid, which means they are not able to rely on the grid to give them the support when it’s needed. If there’s an emergency, they don’t have backup.

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