Nice little article for those who like the detail and facts not...

Nice little article for those who like the detail and facts not intuitiveness based on guesswork and bravado..

https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/bitstream/JRC122671/jrc122671_the_role_of_rare_earth_elements_in_wind_energy_and_electric_mobility_2.pdf

Here is a nice fact filled para from the link to whet your appetitie,

The exact composition of rare earths within an NdFeB permanent magnet can vary, with different proportions of the different elements leading to different magnetic properties. Neodymium and praseodymium can in principle be substituted by other elements, but this is often limited by the operating condition specifications. In the past few years most research has focused on the optimisation of the use of dysprosium and terbium, which are both costly and poorly available (Roskill, 2018). These two elements are used to improve a magnet’s resistance to demagnetisation, allowing for higher working temperatures. The use of terbium is currently limited as it has the same function as dysprosium but is significantly more expensive (Reimer et al., 2018). For wind turbines, an average permanent magnet contains 28.5 % neodymium, 4.4 % dysprosium, 1 % boron and 66 %iron and weighs up to 4 tonnes (Rabe et al., 2017).

How many wind turbines are there or will be? There are currently more than 57,000 in USA - even with an impossible 50 year life that will be a steady stream 4,000 tonnes p.a. at some point, Still...

.... who wants a tiddly-itsy-bitsy business like that when there are over 341,000 wind turbines on the planet.