We Might Not Have Enough Materials for All the Solar Panels and Wind Turbines We Need, an Analysis Finds (popularmechanics.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Plenty of high-tech electronic components, like solar panels, rechargeable batteries, and complex circuits require specific rare metals. These can include magnetic neodymium, electronic indium, and silver, along with lesser-known metals like praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium. These metals are mined in large quantities in countries around the world, and they make their way into the supply chains of all sorts of electronics and renewables companies.

A group of researchers from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure determined how many of these important metals will be required by 2050 in order to make enough solar panels and wind turbines to effectively combat climate change. With plenty of countries, states, cities, and companies pledging to go 100 percent renewable by 2050, the number of both solar panels and wind turbines is expected to skyrocket. According to the analysis, turbines and solar panels might be skyrocketing a bit too much. Demand for some metals like neodymium and indium could grow by more than a dozen times by 2050, and there simply might not be enough supply to power the green revolution.

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Well that settles it

[AlanObject]

I guess we should just call off all the green initiative stuff (hippy liberal anyway) and fire up more coal plants.

Re:Well that settles it

[Oswald McWeany]

I guess we should just call off all the green initiative stuff (hippy liberal anyway) and fire up more coal plants.

I'm buying all the beachfront property in Oregon for when it becomes the new tropical tourist hot-spot.

Of course

[jlowery]

They stopped teaching alchemy in schools ages ago, and now look where we are.