25+MW Solar Heating Commercially Viable for Solvent Extraction Electro Winning (SX EW) and Heap Leaching

Millennium Energy Industries

Contents
Why Solar heating? Mining aplications Evaluations and real examples Solar District Heating Showcase 25MWth
Background Key design challenges

Solar Heating Cost Comparison

Solar Heating is the low hanging fruit in the solar and renewable energy sector, commercially viable without incentives. Each $1 invested = up to $7 in savings.
Technology Solar Power PV/CSP Wind Solar Industrial Process Hot Water Thermal Solar Cooling Installed Cost Million US$/MW 2.5 - 7 1 - 2.5 Approximate Cost US$/KWh 0.18 - 0.50 0.09 0.15

0.6-1.3
1.5 - 2.5

0.04 - 0.10
0.12-0.15

Solar Heating - 8 x Greater Installed Capacity than Solar electricity as of 2009!

Historically mostly residential, untapped for industrial / commercial applications.. 1. Significant technology, engineering and installation experience is required for industrial and commercial scale solar heating / cooling solutions. 2. Commercial scale solar heating/cooling EPC is MEIs core business, with Project Development, and R&D as supplementary businesses with significant potential

Industrial heat demand by temperature level and industrial sector

100% 80%

60%

40% Above 400C 20% 100 - 400C Below 100C 0%

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Source: ECOHEATCOOL

 Solar Steam is suited for high temperature applications (100-500C), and not required for heat applications below 100C such as in the case of SXEW where temperatures below 70C are required. Solar Steam solutions require greater CAPEX per MWHth, as well as greater O&M cost. As a result, a MWh from Solar Steam solution is 15+% more costly than a MWh from Flat Plate on large scale BOOT basis as per the table below in a sunny location
Energy Source Flat Plate-15 Y Flat Plate-25 Y Solar Steam-15 Y Capacity MWth 22.5 22.5 17 Energy Output MWh/Year 29,000 29,000 29,000 CAPEX $ 18,000,000 18,000,000 20,769,231 Price / MWh $ 98.8 87.9 117.6

Flat Plate Solar Heat More Efficient than Solar Steam

Solar Steam-25Y

17

29,000

20,769,231

105.0

The Copper SXEW Process is a Large Consumer of Heat (below 100C)

A portion of the copper production goes through a low temperature, heat intensive process called solvent extraction and electro-winning (SXEW). The resultant product is copper cathodes.
The picture to the right shows copper cathodes after the SXEW process. This is 99.999% pure copper.

Thickening Ore Treatment (mine dependent)

Study Results Mine A: Increase copper recovery by 5%-10%. Increasing the feeding temperature to 50C-60C.

Heap Leaching (mine dependent)

Study Results Mine A: Drip hot water to increase rate of copper dissolution and thus increase total copper recovery by 5% and accelerate leaching period from 34 months to 11 months. In this specific case 40m3/hr at 40C per 50K Tons of ore heaps.

Solar District Heating Showcase

Princess Noura University for Women, Riyadh
Design, Supply, Install and Maintenance of Solar District Heating System System to Support District Heating Network . 17 MW (winter 25MW peak) capacity. System is the largest globally with 36,000 sqm collector area.

Project Background
The conventional Heating System consist of 8 diesel-boilers driven with a total capacity of 70MW thermal. Designed for the energy supply of hot water for heating and Hot-Water-Sanitary Systems in different university buildings The energy supply of the boilers is at temperature 93C maximum, while the performance is at 72C

Project Background
Systems of tracked Parabolic Solar-Collectors have been planned initialy to allow de-focusing because of the possibility of overheating during the summer
The Solar Systems have been re-designed by MEI using flat plate collectors with a total superficial area of approx. 36.000 m2. Solar System to increase the return-flow-temperature of the boiler with a minimum of 3 degrees during the winter days, with an approx. Capacity of 17MWt in the winter (25 MWt in the summer) The solar panels are installed on the roof of the university buildings with a total covered superficial area of 60.000 m2

Project Background
Solar Collectors Location

Key Design Challenges

District Net of Heating with high temperature levels:
The temperature of return-flow to the collectors 72 C The high alimentation-temperature of the boiler 93 C

Overheating of the System because of stagnation of the system

System designed to back up the heating in the winter months to accomplish the requirements of the Hot-Water System University-Profile of daily- and holiday-energy demand

Storms and Requirement of cleaning the collectors to maintain efficiency. Possibility of freezing due to low temperatures during the nights in Riyadh. Hydraulic balance and heat losses due to the large solar matrix-scale Fixing the system in the roof-structure and protection of impermeability

The climate conditions in Riyadh January 17.2008

Challenges: Freezing
The temperature is below ~ -25 a -30 C. Because of absorption-losses it can be cooled until ~ -5 a -8 C.

Photos from Beginning to End

Project Progress Approx. 1,000m3 (150m3 for Each Storage Tank)

Photos Project Progress (Control Room for the Solar Plant)

Photos Project Progress (Remote Monitoring)

Post-Commissioning - Sunset