ARTICLE: Can Cutting-Edge Sustainable Solutions for Smart Cities also be used to Shape Smarter Mines?

After returning from the Sustainable Cities Trade Mission to Poland and Ukraine, Michelle explores the win-win opportunities that could arise from collaboration between two future-critical sectors: mining and cleantech.

The Canadian environmental and cleantech sector is a vibrant, dynamic, and rapidly evolving field focused on creating sustainable solutions to promote a greener future and vibrant health.

With a strong emphasis on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water and waste management, and smart grid solutions, this sector harnesses cutting-edge research and development to reduce carbon footprints and address pressing environmental challenges, while improving quality of life.

According to Natural Resources Canada, in 2022, there were 2,427 Canadian companies operating within the cleantech sector. Canada plays a significant role in innovation and the development of sustainable solutions; its cleantech sector accounting for 2.9% of the country’s GDP in 2021 (approximately C$58 billion).

Worlds pleasantly collide

While not hailing from Canada’s cleantech sector, I was fortunate enough to be in attendance at the Canadian Sustainable Cities Trade and Investment Mission: Poland & Ukraine in the cities of Warsaw and Rzeszów in September 2024.

Eleven Canadian sustainable technology companies were selected to present their standout, innovative solutions to Polish and Ukrainian markets in a shared vision of sustainable cities for present and future generations.

My ‘day job’ as a sustainability strategist in the mining sector combined with my involvement in the trade mission – as part of my personal quest to connect with my Polish heritage through work with the Canadian Polish Business Association – were suddenly colliding in a most unexpected way.

While the trade mission events were entirely focused on transformative smart and green solutions for cities, I couldn’t help but think, while listening to the Canadian company and Polish district presentations, how mine sites are really ‘mini cities’, and what challenges and opportunities they have in common with mining companies. For example, both cities and mines:

• Have large and complex populations and infrastructure with ongoing pressure to increase safety, security, and operational/resource efficiencies, all the while decreasing costs.
• Share aspirational values that include environmental best practice and stewardship and the drive to contribute to change, enhance the resilience of their people – including their most vulnerable – and demonstrate circular economy principles.
• Must fully engage with stakeholders and rights holders, integrating and respecting a vast array of perspectives.
• Must adhere to strict legal and regulatory compliance as well as ethical principles, and
• Aspire to leverage leading technology and support adaptation to pave the way to a more sustainable collective future.

I could see how cutting-edge solutions to shape smarter cities could also be used to shape smarter mines.

All participant companies offered a suite of sustainable solutions with a variety of applications, so while at the Smart Cities Conference in Poland, I sat down with each of the Canadian company representatives to learn which of their technologies could potentially be harnessed and best applied to a mining context. This is what I learned…

Solutions for energy supply & efficiency

Is your mining project or operation located on an island or other area so remote it needs an independent power grid?  CORE Renewable Energy – CORE standing for Community Outreach Renewable Energy – is passionate about energy security, reliability, and sovereignty as well as improving quality of life for vulnerable populations.

The company is known for transforming CONsumers into PROsumers (not only consuming but also producing energy, going beyond net zero to net plus!) and specialising in smart, scaleable, micro-grids in rural and remote locations.

For those looking to reduce mine electricity costs, improve resilience, and accelerate carbon reduction targets, Invinity Energy Systems’ vanadium flow batteries have 4-24 hours of duration, last 25 years with unlimited cycles and, unlike lithium, have zero risk of fire.

Invinity’s energy storage batteries are highly economical over the life of the battery, provide grid stability and support energy supply during peak operating periods.

Lowfoot employs energy-efficient software for real-time equipment monitoring and data analytics to drive down energy costs. By monitoring equipment and transformers, Lowfoot helps organisations to reduce their consumption and peak demand charges and also extends equipment life through monitoring and identifying small changes before they become big problems.

It’s systems are proven to reduce kilowatt operating costs, such as energy supply contracts and tariffs, while optimising overall energy efficiency and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Ever wondered how much energy mines may lose from heat loss alone? SUM Ltd’s technology isolates, insulates, and prevents passive heat loss in industrial processing systems.

SUM specialises in the production of thermal insulation for very high or low temperatures and industrial applications, including custom removable insulation, heat-traced, fire, and welding blankets. SUM’s industrial insulation applications include Fort McMurray AB, British Columbia ships and mines, and on North Sea drilling platforms.

Driven to lead the global shift towards responsible, sustainable energy use, Armstrong Fluid Technology focuses on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, gas transmission, and fire suppression and safety applications using energy-saving solutions to enhance system performance.

Armstrong’s proprietary Active Performance Management system supports long-term efficiency of mechanical systems by providing informed and predictive data-driven responses to changes in load and system performance.

New ways to approach waste management

RDA Technologies is changing how we deal with carbon through its smart waste management innovations and circular economy carbon solutions. Domestic (and certain industrial) wastes are transformed into biochar, which can be used for agricultural soil enrichment. Its exothermic design also produces energy availability for adjacent facilities or feeding into the local grid.

Creating, safe, secure sites 

What mineral exploration program, development project, or mine doesn’t make liberal use of two-way radios? Imagine adding location, messaging, alarming, and video surveillance technology to two-way radios to transform health, safety, and security through ongoing situational awareness and to better manage real-time, critical events.

Teldio’s radio enhancing software conveniently and seamlessly integrates and deploys with Motorola products and core networks.

Specialising in large surveillance and physical security systems, mining operations can transform their security beyond the generic to Genetec Inc’s unified portfolio of security solutions carefully tailored for specific needs. Consider a bespoke system to ensure a centralised security strategy, heighten critical infrastructure security and foster a safer work environment.

Intelligent options for traffic & data management

Mine sites can benefit significantly from intelligent traffic management and automated road safety technologies. Viion Systems couples its proprietary hardware and software with expert training and responsive support to uphold the highest standards in traffic management with the ultimate goal of reducing traffic accidents, injuries and fatalities.

Viion’s technology is already embedded in the mining sector, delivering road safety improvements, monitoring speed control and other driving infractions (such as seatbelt compliance and illegal turns) as well as overall drive times and mechanical inspection schedules with direct employees and transportation vendors.

Operations considering how autonomous driving may enhance their on-site transport management systems could also benefit from GeoMate Inc’s cutting-edge AI-powered mapping technology. GeoMate’s precision data solutions increase mapping accuracy and safety margin quotients for their clients, while costing up to 70% less than conventional mapping techniques.

If cybersecurity is top of mind, mPowered Technology Solutions ensures traceability (validated, secure, and used to train and test AI models) transmission through custom remote sensors that prevent cybersecurity threats and enhance the resilience and reliability of remote systems.

A shared vision of a smart future 

It was incredibly clear that looking to the environmental and cleantech sector for inspiration, mining companies may be able to solve many of their most pressing safety and productivity issues by leveraging cutting-edge technology to creatively meet or enhance their sustainable development objectives.

I came away from the Sustainable Cities Trade and Investment Mission to Poland and Ukraine not only proud of Canada’s leading role in providing sustainable cleantech solutions, but also significantly better informed about innovative solutions that could support the global mining industry in pursuing an environmentally responsible and resource-efficient future.

View the original article on The Intelligent Miner site here:

The Sustainable Cities Trade and Investment Mission: Poland and Ukraine (September 30- October 4, 2024) was organised by the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) in cooperation with Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH), Polish Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canadian-Polish Business Association (CPBA) and Innowo Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development.