Sustainability and Rare Earth Elements
SUSTAINABILITY, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS Eric Schelter The rare earth elements are used in renewable energy applications such as wind power, hybrid- and electric vehicles. However, the current globalized supply chain of rare earths is neither environmentally nor economically sustainable. Illegal mining and smuggling of rare earths is an ongoing problem. But what […]
Solar Power, Silver and Full-Cycle Sustainability
In its first phase of growth, photovoltaics saw its primary uses in densely populated countries with significant dependencies on foreign oil. Two things happened: Germany and Japan became the countries with the highest percentage of renewable energy production (which includes wind and hydro-electric power); Chinese manufacturers aggressively entered the market and became the main suppliers. […]