Hernández Herrera, J. (2013). On the technical and economic feasibility of PV systems with storage to support electricity supply for mining utilities in Chile [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien]. reposiTUm. https://resolver.obvsg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-ubtuw:1-67312
"Chile's economy, as one of the main mining countries in the world, is quickly growing. However this growth finds the handicap of the already high and increasing cost of electricity due to the convergence of different political, geographical and meteorological factors. This quick increase of electricity cost is affecting the competitiveness of their raw material and compromising the economic growth. This work intends to present hybrid systems as a feasible alternative to the traditional thermal generation of electricity in the mining sector, mainly based on diesel generators in certain areas. As a result, it is shown that a proper and optimized integration of photovoltaic with storage and diesel generators represents an improvement in the system from the economic, technical and environmental point of view to both, bringing additional value to investors and mining companies. To support the analysis it will be presented a general case study, describing a hypothetical copper mine where photovoltaic and storage is combined with existing diesel generators. Sensitivity analysis involving the main parameters and variables are presented to discuss the results."