Full Title: Responsible Minerals Sourcing for Renewable Energy
Author(s): Elsa Dominish, Sven Teske, and Nick Florin
Publisher(s): The Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF)
Publication Date: April 17, 2019
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Research Highlights:
- Under a 100 percent renewable energy scenario, metal requirements could rise dramatically, requiring new primary and recycled sources.
- Clean technologies rely on a variety of minerals, principally cobalt, nickel, lithium, copper, aluminum, silver and rare earths.
- Cobalt, lithium and rare earths are the metals of most concern for increasing clean tech demand and supply risks.
- Batteries for electric vehicles are the most significant driver of accelerated minerals demand.
- Recycled sources can significantly reduce primary demand, but new mining is likely to take place and new mining developments linked to renewable energy are already underway.
- Responsible sourcing is needed when supply cannot be met by recycled sources.