Metal Requirements for Building Electrical Grid Systems of Global Wind Power and Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic until 2050

Abstract

Wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power form vital parts of the energy transition toward renewable energy systems. The rapid development of these two renewables represents an enormous infrastructure construction task including both power generation and its associated electrical grid systems, which will generate demand for metal resources. However, most research on material demands has focused on their power generation systems (wind turbines and PV panels), and few have studied the associated electrical grid systems. Here, we estimate the global metal demands for electrical grid systems associated with wind and utility-scale PV power by 2050, using dynamic material flow analysis based on International Energy Agency’s energy scenarios and the typical engineering parameters of transmission grids. Results show that the associated electrical grids require large quantities of metals: 27–81 Mt of copper cumulatively, followed by 20–67 Mt of steel and 11–31 Mt of aluminum. Electrical grids built for solar PV have the largest metal demand, followed by offshore and onshore wind. Power cables are the most metal-consuming electrical components compared to substations and transformers. We also discuss the decommissioning issue of electrical grids and their recovery potential. This study would deepen the understanding of the nexus between renewable energy, grid infrastructure, and metal resources.

Critical material supply sustainability for wind turbine deployment towards 2050

“…Electrical grid system for wind turbines. The electrical grids of wind turbines mainly consist of inter-array grids, transformers and substations, and export transmission lines in wind turbine farms, and can be represented by its demands of copper, aluminum, and steel 16 . Fig.…”

“…Metal Intensity in Electrical Grid Systems. Copper, aluminum, and steel intensities for array cables, transformers, and export cables were obtained from literature 16 . The average wind farm capacity for both onshore and offshore wind turbines was calculated using logistic growth (Eq.…”

“…Material intensity studies have gained attention in recent years, especially for low-carbon energy technologies, including wind power, solar power, and electric vehicles, among other technologies [9][10][11] , giving a big picture of the low-carbon transition. For the wind energy sector, studies are often limited to a few or specific materials, particularly neodymium and dysprosium, which have raised special concerns 12,13 at national levels such as Germany 5 , Denmark 14 , and China 15 , considering only offshore turbines 13 , assuming no technological advancement in the future 15 , and focusing only on electrical grid systems associated with wind power 16 . Although those studies have covered existing gaps in the material intensity of wind turbines, there are still several impact factors that need to be considered such as different wind turbine lifetimes, future advances and developments, unique material intensities for onshore and offshore wind turbines, its material criticality, and its potential limitations in the deployment of wind turbines with its electrical grid system.…”

Weighing China's Fast Deployment of Offshore Wind Turbines through Satellite Images

“…The submarine cables are categorized into two parts: export submarine cables and array submarine power cables 56 , which are both necessary for wind turbine power transmission and exhibit significantly different material intensities due to their distinct applications 57,58 (Supplementary Table S1.3). Thus we separately quantified the stock of export submarine cables and array submarine power cables (Supplementary S1.6.2).…”

Self-powered PtNi-polyaniline films for converting rain energy into electricity

“…There has been a long pursuit for energy-harvesting or -converting materials to address the issues of energy crisis and environmental pollution, further realizing the sustainable development of our society. [1][2][3][4][5] Many advanced technologies and pieces of equipment have been successfully utilized to capture energy from nature, including solar energy, [6][7][8][9] wind energy, [10][11][12][13] tidal energy, [14][15][16][17] etc., and further convert them into electricity to meet our living needs. Unfortunately, the total power output of as-developed devices is limited by the weather.…”