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The switch from a fuel-intensive to a material-intensive system.

Roger B

A very succinct description of the problems facing us from E+T.

https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/05/13/electric-building-materials-short-supply

“Solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays and wind farms do not require fuel to operate, but they generally require more materials – including harder-to-find critical minerals and rare earths – to construct than polluting power stations. According to the IEA, an onshore wind plant requires nine times more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant of the same capacity, while a typical electric car requires six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car.”

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  • The switch from a fuel-intensive to a material-intensive system

    The big difference of course is that while fuel is burnt once and is then gone forever, materials can be recycled over and over again - so in a sense are more "borrowed" than "used". Certainly the steel and copper, likely the more expensive smaller items as well. The composite glass fibre wind turbine blades might be more of a challenge, but never say never - engineering is always coming up with new solutions.

       - Andy.

  • in reply to AJJewsbury

    Andy:

    The best example of material being recycled over and over is GOLD !

    Peter 

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  • in reply to Peter Brooks

    Peter,

    I agree that in all advanced countries who correctly count their population numbers there is a decline in numbers but in developing Africa and Sahara desert area the increase is horrifying and their economies cannot build fast enough to double every 20 years.

    See worldometers- by country stats.  They are not lying and global warming is the direct result.   

      www.worldometers.info/.../population-by-country

  • in reply to Peter Brooks

    Isn't that 'Hoarding', as a 'non-material' ;-) 

  • in reply to Philip Oakley

    Gold used to be used a lot in manufacturing products such as microcircuits.

    Peter Brooks 

  • in reply to Peter Brooks

    Gold still is used 'a lot' in many parts of electronics and electrical systems but they are careful to use only the minimum needed because of it's 'false' commodity use making it too expensive ;-)

  • in reply to Philip Oakley

    you don't need very much gold at 0.7um thickness to do large areas of a PCB - its quite a cheap option. Chips tend to be aluminium or for the expensive ones, copper metalization these days. The dissimilar metal "purple plague" bond wire problem has been solved with barrier layers.
    mike

  • in reply to Philip Oakley

    For your information, there are still US locations (examples Nevada, California and Alaska) where one can still do free "panning for gold", , in known gold producing rivers. 

    Peter Brooks

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