Mineral Reserves for Energy Transition

• The world’s energy system is primarily powered by fossil fuels.
• The transition to a lowcarbon energy system will shift the underpinnings from coal, oil, and gas to minerals needed for solar, wind, nuclear, and other technologies.
• Countries with significant mineral reserves include:
– Bauxite: Primary source of aluminum essential for wind turbines, solar panels, batteries, electrolyzers, and transmission cables.
– Chromium: Key for geothermal and concentrated solar power, used in wind turbines and for radiation shielding in nuclear power plants.
– Cobalt: Used in consumer electronics, catalysts for the oil industry, and critical components in many lithium-ion battery technologies.
• Copper: Critical element in solar photovoltaics, wind power, battery storage, and electricity grids.
• Graphite: Key component of battery anodes and stationary batteries for the transition to electric vehicles.
• Lithium: Core component of lithium-ion batteries.
• Manganese: Widely used in solar and wind power, and in lithium-ion batteries for electric cars.
• Molybdenum: High electrical conductivity but expands little when exposed to heat.
• Nickel: Key component in the cathodes of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars.
• Rare earths: Used in wind power for permanent magnets.
• Silver: Most important role in clean energy is in solar photovoltaics and electric vehicles.
• Uranium: Primary fuel for nuclear energy production.