The Other Stuff

[RE]

So much focus is on the supply of Fossil Fuels and Rare Earth elements that are getting harder to find, we tend to forget about the Other Stuff necessary for transitioning to renewables as well as expanding and upgrading our power transmission grid.  Copper isn't considered a rare metal, its pretty common and has been in heavy use since the Bronze Age.  It can be substituted for in some applications, but for the lofty goals set over the next decade to go carbon free, the amount of copper needed will be substantial.  Will it really be possible to acquire the vast quantities needed, and how much will it cost?

Staying on a net-zero pathway by 2030 will require 12.8 million tons of additional copper supplies over the next five and a half years according to recent calculations from BloombergNEF. For comparison, just about 27 million tons last year. Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a whopping 460% increase in copper production, which will require 194 new large-scale mines to be brought online over the next 32 years. According to the International Energy Forum report, in a business-as-usual scenario, just 35 will be added by that time. Meeting net-zero goals will therefore require a leap from the baseline never before seen in human history.

https://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/A-Looming-Copper-Bottleneck-Could-Derail-the-Energy-Transition.html

A Looming Copper Bottleneck Could Derail the Energy Transition

RE

[K-Dog]

So much focus is on the supply of Fossil Fuels and Rare Earth elements that are getting harder to find, we tend to forget about the Other Stuff necessary for transitioning to renewables as well as expanding and upgrading our power transmission grid.  Copper isn't considered a rare metal, its pretty common and has been in heavy use since the Bronze Age.  It can be substituted for in some applications, but for the lofty goals set over the next decade to go carbon free, the amount of copper needed will be substantial.  Will it really be possible to acquire the vast quantities needed, and how much will it cost?

Staying on a net-zero pathway by 2030 will require 12.8 million tons of additional copper supplies over the next five and a half years according to recent calculations from BloombergNEF. For comparison, just about 27 million tons last year. Achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 will require a whopping 460% increase in copper production, which will require 194 new large-scale mines to be brought online over the next 32 years. According to the International Energy Forum report, in a business-as-usual scenario, just 35 will be added by that time. Meeting net-zero goals will therefore require a leap from the baseline never before seen in human history.

https://oilprice.com/Metals/Commodities/A-Looming-Copper-Bottleneck-Could-Derail-the-Energy-Transition.html

A Looming Copper Bottleneck Could Derail the Energy Transition

RE

Net zero ignores overshoot.  Net zero is no more than putting a happy face on business as usual.