Critical mineral constraints in global renewable scenarios under 1.5 °C target

• Published in: Environmental research letters Vol. 17; no. 12; pp. 125004 - 125014
• Main Authors: Wang, Peng, Chen, Wei-Qiang, Cui, Xueqin, Li, Jiashuo, Li, Wen, Wang, Chenyang, Cai, Wenjia, Geng, Xinyi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.12.2022
• Subjects: carbon neutrality; Climate change; Climate change mitigation; Climate system; Constraints; critical mineral; Energy; Energy transition; integrated assessment model; metal–energy nexus; Minerals; Photovoltaic cells; Rare earth elements; renewable; Renewable energy; Selenium; Solar cells; Solar power; Strategic materials; Tellurium; Turbines; Wind power; Wind turbines

To avoid catastrophic climate change, the world is promoting a fast and unprecedented transition from fuels to renewables. However, the infrastructures of renewables, such as wind turbines and solar cells, rely heavily on critical minerals like rare earths, indium, etc. Such interactions between cli...