From Ground to Grid: The Environmental Footprint of Minerals in Renewable Energy Supply Chains  

作　　者：Gautam Swami Kajal Sheth Dhvanil Patel Gautam Swami;Kajal Sheth;Dhvanil Patel(School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA;Department of Energy, New York Tech, Long Island, NY, USA;Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA)

机构地区：[1]School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA [2]Department of Energy, New York Tech, Long Island, NY, USA [3]Department of Petroleum Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

出　　处：《Computational Water, Energy, and Environmental Engineering》2025年第1期16-36,共21页水能与环境工程(英文)

摘　　要：Renewable energy technologies, while often labeled as clean or net-zero alternatives to fossil fuels, involve substantial use of critical minerals in products like electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage systems. This aspect is frequently underappreciated, yet studies indicate it could be a significant area of environmental impact. For instance, research has shown that a typical electric vehicle needs around six times the mineral resources of a conventional vehicle, while an onshore wind turbine requires nine times the mineral input compared to a gas power plant of similar capacity. This paper seeks to analyze the environmental effects linked to the critical minerals required by certain renewable energy technologies. The study begins with an estimation of the future megawatt capacities for each type of renewable technology. Next, it calculates the specific mineral quantities necessary for each model, followed by an assessment of the environmental repercussions tied to their extraction and processing. The results highlight the unique environmental challenges posed by the rising demand for minerals in solar and wind energy systems, taking into account various adoption scenarios.Renewable energy technologies, while often labeled as clean or net-zero alternatives to fossil fuels, involve substantial use of critical minerals in products like electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage systems. This aspect is frequently underappreciated, yet studies indicate it could be a significant area of environmental impact. For instance, research has shown that a typical electric vehicle needs around six times the mineral resources of a conventional vehicle, while an onshore wind turbine requires nine times the mineral input compared to a gas power plant of similar capacity. This paper seeks to analyze the environmental effects linked to the critical minerals required by certain renewable energy technologies. The study begins with an estimation of the future megawatt capacities for each type of renewable technology. Next, it calculates the specific mineral quantities necessary for each model, followed by an assessment of the environmental repercussions tied to their extraction and processing. The results highlight the unique environmental challenges posed by the rising demand for minerals in solar and wind energy systems, taking into account various adoption scenarios.

关 键 词：Clean Energy Transitions Mineral Extraction Environmental Impacts Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) Carbon Emissions 

分 类 号：P57[天文地球—矿物学]