Renew Extra Weekly

Some worry that there will be resource constraints on the expansion of renewables, with the emphasis often put on the large material requirements, e.g. for steel, aluminum and copper.   However, a full life-cycle resource analysis has suggested that renewables could supply the world’s entire electricity needs by mid-century without major problems with resource (materials) use or associated eco-impacts. It assessed the whole-life costs and materials souring impacts of solar, wind, hydro, in relation to the demand for aluminum, copper, nickel and steel, metallurgical grade silicon, flat glass, zinc and clinker. The overall conclusion was that ‘bulk material requirements appear manageable but not negligible compared with the current production rates for these materials. Copper is the only material covered in our analysis for which supply may be a concern’. Issues still remain for concrete, although there are lower carbon versions emerging . Rare earths There are however als...

The International Energy Agency says global offshore wind capacity may increase 15-fold and attract around $1 trillion of cumulative investment by 2040, driven by falling costs, supportive government policies and some remarkable technological progress, such as larger turbines and floating foundations. It notes that the offshore wind capacity in the EU stands at almost 20 GW. Under current policy settings, that is set to rise to nearly 130 GW by 2040. However, if the EU reaches its carbon-neutrality aims, offshore wind capacity would jump to around 180 GW by 2040 and be the region’s largest single power source. Meantime, it notes that China’s offshore wind capacity is set to rise from 4 GW now to 110 GW by 2040. Policies designed to meet global sustainable energy goals could push that to over 170 GW.                               ...