Metals May Hold the Key to Australia's Clean Energy Transformation

Our planet is warming like never before in recorded history.

Our planet is warming like never before in recorded history.

The World Meteorological Organization found 2023 was the hottest year on record—about 1.40 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures.

Greenhouse gas levels continue to increase, alongside record sea surface temperatures and sea level rise, record low Antarctic Sea ice, and extreme weather events.

Australia is no stranger to natural hazards like bushfires, floods and cyclones, which cause death and devastation to vulnerable communities.

Dr Jaci Brown is the Climate Intelligence Director at CSIRO, who said last year’s record was not a surprise.

“We won’t see even warming each year, instead we will continue to see fluctuations between cool and warm years—like we have with three years of La Niña and now an El Niño.”

“What is clear is that the Earth and Australia are warming, will continue to warm, and subsequent El Niño years will push us into new extremes of heat,” she said.

However, there is a clear path out of this trail of tragedy. The United Nations is pushing for global greenhouse gas emissions to be reduced by almost half before 2030, and net-zero by 2050. Net-zero emissions means a complete transformation in the way we produce, digest, and live our lives.

António Guterres is the GeneralSecretary of the United Nations, who said there is no time for half-measures when it comes to clean energy solutions.

“Over the next two years, Governments are required to prepare new economywide national climate action plans.”

Climate change inaction goes hand-inhand with economic uncertainty. The cost of damage caused by a changing climate is estimated to be up to $3.1 trillion per annum by 2050, according to the World Economic Forum.

“Many vulnerable countries are drowning in debt and at risk of drowning in rising seas. It is time for a surge in finance, including for adaptation, loss and damage and reform of the international financial architecture,” Guterres said.

Staying with a business-as-usual approach is not sustainable. Yet, there is a solution for a brighter future, and it may lie within materials science.

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What Is Renewable Energy?

Renewable energy can be a strange concept to grasp because of its highly scientific nature.

For example, wind turbines take the kinetic energy from the wind to provide electricity. These turbines are typically found on wind farms, however offshore plants are also a common practice in some parts of the world.

Wind generation was responsible for 9% of Australia’s energy in 2020–2021, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. This is an average increase of 15% each year over the past decade.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are another way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unlike traditional vehicles, these modern alternatives consume around 40% less energy.

EVs accounted for 8.4% of the nation’s new car sales in 2023—an increase of 121% from the year prior. The most popular purchase was the Tesla Model Y. Behyad Jafari is the CEO of the Electric Vehicle Council, who encouraged Australians to explore the growing EV marketplace.

“Australia’s priority should be on boosting the transition to EVs and decarbonising our transport system. There is no need for Australia to be dependent on imported oil today.”

What Role Do Metals Play in This?

Students who studied science in high school will remember the periodic table of elements. This offers a glimpse into some of the metals that could pave the way for a sustainable future.

Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium and the third largest producer of cobalt, which means the nation has a natural advantage when it comes to using metals for clean energy.

For example, copper is a soft metal, which is critical to powering wind turbines. It boasts thermal and electrical properties, which are unmatched by other materials. It means any device with an on-off switch relies on copper to conduct electricity. As such, it is a highly valuable material for solar energy systems.

A 3-megawatt wind turbine—the industry benchmark—contains up to 4.7 tonnes of copper. The majority (53%) is used for cabling and wiring, while components for power generation, and transformers also rely on this metal.

The South Australian Government is taking advantage of this material for clean energy production under the recently established Copper Taskforce.

“We’ve always known copper is critical to South Australia, but now we’re making it official by showcasing it as we develop our critical minerals strategy,” said Tom Koutsantonis, who is the South Australia’s Minister for Energy and Mining.

As governments shift towards an electrification model, the demand for metals like copper and energy transition technologies is expected to rise.

One example is the hard, silvery metal neodymium, which is crucial for motors in EVs. When combined with the chemical elements of boron and ion, it creates a magnetic field, which allows for electric charges and currents.

Neodymium is widely used in many devices, including microphones, mobile phones, and loudspeakers.

While China dominates the rare earth elements game, Australia is a hub for neodymium mining, particularly at the Lynas Rare Earth’s Mount Weld mine. The company behind the mine, Arafura Resources, is seeking to expand the facility. This will lead to a 50% increase in neodymium production by 2025.

Dr Jerad Ford is the former lead of CSIRO’s Critical Energy Metals Mission, who said Australia has the world’s sixthlargest reserves of rare-earth minerals.

“Neodymium is the element most commonly used, but other rare earth minerals also play a role—and their ability to never lose their magnetic field makes them essential in things like EV motors and in spinning wind turbines, where very powerful magnets drive the generator to make as much electricity as possible.”

Is Mining Metals the Only Solution?

Extracting metals for clean energy production comes at a cost to the environment.

In fact, the International Energy Agency (IEA) found an onshore wind farm needs nine times more mineral resources than a traditional gas-fired plant.

Metals are infinitely recyclable, and material scientists are working towards preservation strategies.

As such, the metals used to build wind turbines offer a long-term solution of zero emissions and unlimited capacity.

Similarly, EV batteries rely on metals like copper, lithium and cobalt. Unlike automobiles using internal combustion engines, EVs require six times more mineral inputs.

However, material scientists are working towards sustainable solutions, like recycling, to reduce the strain on the sector and the environmental impacts.

It means products like EV batteries may be repurposed for a second life.

The European Union has set the goldstandard by mandating a proportion of recycled materials in all batteries.

“Demand will grow for circular economy to be built into manufacturing processes,” Dr Ford said.

Recycling also reduces stress on primary supply and enhances resilience in the supply chain.

The IEA estimates the number of EV batteries reaching the end of their first lifecycle will rapidly increase in the next six years.

However, a steady increase in the recycling of critical elements could reduce the need for primary supplies by 10%.

“Much of the hydrometallurgy and other techniques and capabilities we use to produce the chemicals for battery and other energy technologies, can also be deployed at the other end of the process, to extract these important minerals out of products at their end of life,” Dr Ford explained.

Market pressures for recycled materials are likely to push manufacturers into a new suite of products, which can be built in a more sustainable manner.

“We just need to be smart about how we deploy the skills we already have in this area,” Dr Ford said.