Battery vs. Generator Hookup for Electric Mining Supplies

The switch from diesel and propane to electricity for mining sites has been a good one, for the most part. Electricity is a cleaner-burning fuel and reduces the fumes that diesel- and propane-powered equipment can produce. When you switch your mine from fossil fuel to electricity, you will find equipment powered by batteries and equipment powered by generators. Having a mix is advisable in general, but you'll find that some individual pieces of equipment can use either type of power, and you'll need to choose which works best for you.

Portability or Tethering

It's key to choose between battery power and using a generator is where you need to take the equipment. If you need something easily portable and that can be moved to another area quickly, battery power may be the way to go. While many generators are small and technically portable, they are another item that you'd have to carry along with the other equipment. Having to tether equipment like that means you'll have to deal with cords as well. On the other hand, if you're not concerned with having the equipment kept in one place, a generator could be all you need.

How Long You'll Need Power 

Batteries can store a lot of power that lets you use the equipment for a prolonged period; just look at laptop batteries that now let you use a laptop for most of the workday without recharging. But laptops aren't very high-draining devices, and mining equipment is different from a laptop. If you use the equipment for short bursts of time only (and "short" here can still mean a few hours; just not all day long), a battery would be fine. But if you need long-term power for an item that will be constantly in use, a generator is better.

Generator Fuel and Battery Supply

Do keep generator fuel and the ability to recharge the battery or get new batteries in mind. If you use a solar-charged generator, you can't really use that with portable equipment placed underground. If you have a battery-operated drill and need to take it to an area that is far away from any recharging source, that's a consideration. There are ways around a lot of these issues (e.g., using a generator to recharge items that have rechargeable batteries and changing your work schedule to allow for recharging time), but you need to give them some thought before committing to a certain source of power for equipment.

Being able to reduce pollution and increase the safety of workers has been a major benefit of going electric. By carefully considering the circumstances in which you use each piece of equipment, you can create a balanced, stable equipment and power supply situation at your mining site. Learn more by contacting mining equipment sellers.