Disused Mining Equipment Could Gain New Life in Solar Installations
An energy company based in the Czech Republic is granting disused mining equipment a second life in new solar installations. ČEZ Group, a conglomerate of nearly 100 companies, has begun testing whether parts removed from strip coal mine conveyor belts could support the construction of photovoltaic solar power plants. Central sections extracted from old conveyor belts in coal mines are being recycled into structures to carry the solar-energy panels. These central sections typically transport excavated soil from one area to another, a relatively mundane but critical activity in the coal-mining pipeline. Although the mines they served are now discounted, the…