Hilltop Husker - 1/31/2024 06:36



Because you have to level mountain ranges from the four corners.. China, Africa..etc.. to mine rare earths etc.. to make lithium batteries magnets and other components to build wind turbines and solar arrays.. EV batteries..  pretty soon you are moving more earth than mining coal.. and burning as much fossil fuels to mine them.. vs what you are trying to save..

so the point becomes???   What??

https://ratedpower.com/blog/rare-metals-photovoltaic/ 



“China accounts for the lion’s share of the global REE market, from mining, through to separation and refining

Around 85% of global rare earth production capacity is in China. Australia and the US are among the countries developing new facilities to reduce reliance on Chinese supply, particularly as REEs are also used in military equipment and tightening supply has prompted China to increase export restrictions.

REE prices climbed earlier this year to their highest levels in close to a decade as rising demand in China and COVID-19 restrictions have tightened the market.

Minor metals in the solar industry

Unlike the wind power and EV sectors, the solar PV industry isn’t reliant on rare earth materials. Instead, solar cells use a range of minor metals including silicon, indium, gallium, selenium, cadmium, and tellurium. Minor metals, which are sometimes referred to as rare metals, are by-products from the refining of base metals such as copper, nickel, and zinc. As such, they are produced in smaller quantities.

While minor metals like gallium and tellurium are largely produced in China, silicon has more diverse sources of supply -- including Russia, Norway, and Brazil. Indium and cadmium are refined in South Korea, Japan and the Americas as well as China, while selenium is produced in Europe and Japan in addition to China.”