Analysis of the economic and environmental potential of wind energy use as an alternative source in the Peruvian mining industry

Jahir Ticlla Lozada J.; Fernando Velasquez Romero L.; Antonio Díaz Díaz M.; Milena Polo Herrera K. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2025) · DOI: 10.18687/laccei2025.1.1.565

Resumen

Mining is one of the key productive activities in the economy of many countries. However, its high energy consumption and environmental impact are worrying. This study evaluates the viability of adopting wind energy as an alternative for conventional energy sources in the Peruvian mining industry, a quantitative approach was used, with a descriptive non-experimental design, the costs and benefits associated with this transition were analyzed, and the amount of GHG emissions from the two types of energy was compared. The study revealed that the implementation of wind energy represents a significant opportunity to reduce investment, operation and maintenance costs in the long term, It was projected that the wind farm of San Juan de Marcona-Peru would require an investment of 342 million dollars, while the wind farm Punta Lomitas-Peru would require 570 million dollars in the same period, comparatively, the costs of electrical service in mining companies were estimated between 175.9968 and 2868.74784 million dollars over 30 years, furthermore, the transition to wind energy could reduce between 662,515.2 and 5,999,443.2 tons of CO2eq emissions in three decades, these findings show that the use of wind energy as an alternative to mining is not only economically viable, but also promotes a cleaner and more sustainable economy, contributing to the protection of the environment.

Instituciones: Universidad Privada del Norte