Solar energy alternatives for copper production

A significant share of the world copper production takes place in arid regions with favorable conditions for the deployment of solar energy technologies, such as the Atacama Desert in Chile. This is an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of this metal by substituting conventional energy sources. This study offers an overview of the different solar technologies to integrate in copper production. These are systemized and their maturity is described and compared with an adapted version of the NASA’s technology readiness level scale.A significant share of the world copper production takes place in arid regions with favorable conditions for the deployment of solar energy technologies, such as the Atacama Desert in Chile. This is an opportunity to reduce the carbon footprint of this metal by substituting conventional energy sources. This study offers an overview of the different solar technologies to integrate in copper production. These are systemized and their maturity is described and compared with an adapted version of the NASA’s technology readiness level scale.