The company has successfully demonstrated its first battery electric 793 large mining truck as part of plans to transform its Arizona-based Tucson Proving Ground into a sustainable testing and validation hub of the future.

But it also intends to develop green hydrogen production, natural gas and 100% hydrogen reciprocating engine power generation, fuel cell power generation and expanded energy storage systems as part of an ‘alternative energy island’.

Denise Johnson, Resource Industries Group President, said, “We know it will take an integrated, site-level solution for miners to achieve their carbon-reduction goals, and we’re here to help as they redefine the way they mine for generations to come.”

In a video, Caterpillar explains: “When we have excess energy, we can use it to create and store hydrogen, and we will use that hydrogen as an energy source for our machine testing. And we’re installing a fuel cell to convert hydrogen into electricity, providing greater energy resiliency.”

Caterpillar is also adding two Gensets, capable of running fully on natural gas, or fully hydrogen, or a blend of both. The site will produce up to 2MW of solar power and 3MW of wind power at peak power.