Global production of critical metals unlikely to meet EU demand
A recent study by Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology found that the current global production levels of raw materials will not match the demand of the European Union’s EV industry, not even when accounting for recycling. The paper points out that the metals that are highly sought after, such as dysprosium, neodymium, manganese and niobium, are of great economic importance to the EU, while their supply is limited and it takes time to scale up raw material production.
“The EU is heavily dependent on imports of these metals because extraction is concentrated in a few countries such as China, South Africa and Brazil.
The lack of availability is both an economic and an environmental problem for the EU, and risks delaying the transition to electric cars and environmentally sustainable technologies,” Maria Ljunggren, lead author of the study, said in a media statement.
“In addition, since many of these metals are scarce, we also risk making access to them difficult for future generations if we are unable to use what is already in circulation.”
Together with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, EMPA, Ljunggren has surveyed the metals that are currently in use in Europe’s vehicle fleet.
The assignment has resulted in an extensive database that shows the presence over time of 11 metals in new vehicles, vehicles in use and vehicles that are recycled.
The survey, which goes back as far as 2006, shows that the proportion of critical metals has increased significantly in vehicles, a development the researchers believe will continue.
Several rare earth elements are among the metals that have increased the most.
“Neodymium and dysprosium usage has increased by around 400% and 1,700% respectively in new cars over the period, and this is even before electrification had taken off,” Ljunggren said. “Gold and silver, which are not listed as critical metals but have great economic value, have increased by around 80%.”
According to the researcher, the idea behind the survey and the database is to provide decision-makers, companies and organizations with an evidence base to support a more sustainable use of the EU’s critical metals.
A major challenge is that these materials, which are found in very small concentrations in each car, are economically difficult to recycle.
“If recycling is to increase, cars need to be designed to enable these metals to be recovered, while incentives and flexible processes for more recycling need to be put in place. But that’s not the current reality”, Ljunggren noted.
“It is important to increase recycling.
At the same time, it is clear that an increase in recycling alone cannot meet requirements in the foreseeable future, just because the need for critical metals in new cars is increasing so much.
Therefore there needs to be a greater focus on how we can substitute other materials for these metals. But in the short term, it will be necessary to increase extraction in mines if electrification is not to be held back.”
Renewable energy capacity to hit record growth in 2023 – IEA
Renewable power capacity will grow by a record number this year as stronger government policies around fossil fuels and energy security concerns drive more clean energy deployment, the International Energy Agency said on Thursday. Global additions of renewable power capacity are expected to jump by 107 gigawatts (GW), the largest absolute increase ever, to more than 440 GW in 2023.
The figure represents about a third more than the world added the previous year, the agency said.
Total global renewable electricity capacity over the next year is expected to rise to 4,500 GW, equivalent to the total power output of China and the US combined.
In its Renewable Energy Market Update, the IEA says that about two-thirds of this year’s increase in renewable power capacity will come from photovoltaic, with both large-scale solar farms and consumer rooftop installations seeing significant growth.
“Solar and wind are leading the rapid expansion of the new global energy economy,” IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement.
“This year, the world is set to add a record-breaking amount of renewables to electricity systems – more than the total power capacity of Germany and Spain combined,” Birol noted.
The jump in renewable energy use in Europe has been triggered by countries’ response to the energy crisis in the wake of the Ukraine war. New policy measures are also helping to drive significant capacity increases in the US and India over the next two years, the IEA said.
China will consolidate its leading place as driver of growth in the sector, accounting for nearly 55% of global additions of renewable power capacity this year and the next.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity additions will account for two-thirds of this year’s increase, and are expected to keep growing in 2024.
High electricity prices have been driving the faster growth in small-scale rooftop systems, the report reads.
Wind power capacity additions are forecast to grow by almost 70% in 2023 year-on-year after a sluggish two-year period.
This increase, the IEA says, is mainly due to the completion of projects that had been delayed by covid restrictions in China and by supply chain issues in the US and Europe.
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