Global warming, climate change, all these things are just a dream come true for politicians. I deal with evidence and not with frightening computer models because the seeker after truth does not put his faith in any consensus. The road to the truth is long and hard, but this is the road we must follow. People who describe the unprecedented comfort and ease of modern life as a climate disaster, in my opinion have no idea what a real problem is.
LinkedIn is a major debate ground for all things climate and energy. The narrative of alarmists and forced energy transformationists (there is an industry of them, most from Europe) cannot get away with much.
Many energy realists post useful information that advances the debate. Ken Brook from Australia was asked SO HOW GREEN ARE RENEWABLES – err solar and wind factories?“.
“There are currently no large-scale, proven ways to make the foundations of modern civilisation without coal, oil and gas…. all we achieve [from climate mitigation policies] is exporting the pollution, hollowing out our own industrial base, and destroying our sovereignty, security and prosperity as a nation.” – Ken Brook (below)
LinkedIn is a major debate ground for all things climate and energy. The narrative of alarmists and forced energy transformationists (there is an industry of them, most from Europe) cannot get away with much. I actively participate on LinkedIn with more than 16,000 followers.
Many energy realists post useful information that advances the debate. Ken Brook from Australia was asked SO HOW GREEN ARE RENEWABLES – err solar and wind factories?“. He listed the upstream problems of wind, solar, and batteries in a comment:
“The critical minerals behind ‘clean’ technology come with realities we rarely acknowledge; wind turbines and EV motors depend on high-coercivity NdFeB magnets made from neodymium and praseodymium, stabilised with dysprosium and terbium sourced mainly from the toxic hell-hole rare-earth refineries of Inner Mongolia and illegal operations in Myanmar;
Lithium extraction in Chile, Argentina and Bolivia drains fragile salt-flat aquifers and deprives native peoples of water rights in one of the most arid regions on Earth;
Copper and silver for solar farms and transmission lines are mined at huge environmental cost in Chile, Peru and Ecuador;
Indonesian nickel for “green” batteries is refined in coal-fired smelters that destroy rainforests and coral reefs; battery-grade graphite is overwhelmingly processed in China and Madagascar using hydrofluoric acid (HF) purification that leaves behind toxic residues;
Polysilicon for solar panels comes largely from Xinjiang where coercive Uyghur labour programs and HF-intensive processing raise serious ethical and environmental concerns;
Cobalt still depends heavily on artisanal and child labour in dangerous hand-dug pits in Congo; and tin for EV and electronics solder is dominated by Myanmar and Indonesia;
because Australia refuses to develop serious onshore refining or magnet manufacturing, we export the toxic chemistry, the water theft, the labour abuses and the ecological destruction to poorer nations while congratulating ourselves for being “green” — a level of moral hypocrisy we should no longer tolerate.
Brooks then lists the fossil-fuel imperatives:
There are currently no large-scale, proven ways to make the foundations of modern civilisation without coal, oil and gas; we still rely on them for steel and aluminium smelting; cement and clinker production; plastics, solvents and chemical feedstocks; nitrogen fertilisers and ammonia; pharmaceuticals and synthetic precursors; rubber, glass and asphalt; high-temperature industrial heat for kilns, refineries and smelters; and the diesel, shipping fuel and jet fuel that actually move ores, food and freight; forcing a rapid fossil phase-out before we have engineered substitutes doesn’t eliminate these processes, it simply offshores them to countries with weaker labour, environmental and emissions standards
He ends:
Unless we think this through properly, all we achieve is exporting the pollution, hollowing out our own industrial base, and destroying our sovereignty, security and prosperity as a nation.
Tucked beneath the pine forests and farm fields of southwest Arkansas, drillers have stumbled upon a critical mineral jackpot: lithium in the region’s ancient saltwater formations.
Last fall, the U.S. Geological Survey announced that an estimated 5 to 19 million tons of lithium are located in southwestern Arkansas. That is enough lithium to meet the world’s estimated 2030 demand for lithium nine times over.
The lithium is located in the Smackover Formation, a geological formation created by an ancient sea that extends across southwest Arkansas and several neighboring states. Back in the 1920s, oil was discovered in the Smackover Formation, setting off a boom in southern Arkansas.
The Smackover Formation is a deep (roughly 8,000–10,000 feet) carbonate aquifer that has been tapped for decades for oil, gas, and bromine-bearing brines, resulting in extensive existing subsurface data and infrastructure. Recent technological developments now enable the U.S. to tap previously unusable brines to extract lithium, a key component of batteries, pharmaceuticals, glass, ceramics, and military equipment.
Now, with the development of the new Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) process, this quiet corner of the South is suddenly staring at an economic bonanza.
A recent study estimated that there could be enough lithium inside a giant slab of limestone rock, known as the Smackover Formation, to meet the entire global demand for electric cars in 2030 nine times over.
Using DLE, miners will soon be able to pull out lithium-rich saltwater from underground reservoirs in Arkansas, filter out the minerals, and return the processed groundwater to the Earth within 24 hours.
The 2024 estimate of 19 million tons of lithium in the Smackover Formation would be enough to erase the nation’s current dependence on China, which controls roughly 70 percent of the world’s lithium supply.
Katherine Knierim from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said: ‘We estimate there is enough dissolved lithium present in that region to replace US imports of lithium and more.’
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In DLE, lithium‑rich brine from reservoirs, oilfield water, or geothermal fluids is first pretreated to remove impurities, then passed through lithium‑selective media that capture Li⁺ while most other ions remain in the brine. Then the lithium is stripped into a concentrated solution (often lithium chloride) and further processed into battery‑grade lithium carbonate or hydroxide. Unused brine is typically reinjected underground.
The entire process enables faster production (hours to days), higher recoveries, and a smaller land and water footprint compared with conventional methods.
The new process needs to be scaled, but the company has been refining it since 2024 and anticipates bringing the lithium product to market by 2028. The area is poised for economic growth and long-term prosperity.
The DLE process, developed with Koch Technology Solutions and Equinor, extracts lithium directly from brine, offering a faster and cleaner alternative to traditional mining. However, this method has yet to be proven at a commercial scale in the U.S., making Arkansas a testing ground for the future of lithium production.
The project promises economic benefits for South Arkansas, including new high-skilled jobs, major investments in rural communities, and growth for local businesses. Standard Lithium is also negotiating up to $1 billion in project financing with international lenders and export credit agencies.
Ultimately, what is happening in Smackover feels less like a regional development project and more like a distinctly American magic trick: turning salt water into the modern world’s version of gold.
Engineers and chemists are stitching together advanced membranes, custom sorbents, and real‑time controls in a high‑tech update of the old oil patch, proving that the same ingenuity that once fueled the petroleum age can now power the battery age.
As brine flows down and lithium‑rich solution comes back up, Arkansas becomes a live demonstration that American innovation can rewrite the value of its own geology…reworking the “waste” of yesterday into the strategic treasure of tomorrow, one shimmering stream of salt water at a time.
The BBC (of all outlets) has an extended piece on how green tech is feeding another environmental crisis. It seems that while the better off indulge their desire to feel good by running EVs and can now look forward to a taxpayer-funded £3,750 grant towards the cost, they’re actually helping to wreck the planet in a whole new way.
The BBC (of all outlets) has an extended piece on how green tech is feeding another environmental crisis. It seems that while the better off indulge their desire to feel good by running EVs and can now look forward to a taxpayer-funded £3,750 grant towards the cost, they’re actually helping to wreck the planet in a whole new way.
Back in the Bad Old Days when the wealthy started to enjoy the fruits and freedoms of the Industrial Revolution with steam trains and coal-fired ocean-going liners, the damage to Britain was all too apparent in the coal mines, open-cast mines, the filthy air and disgusting rivers.
Today the solution is simply to relocate the devastation somewhere else. The Chelsea Tractor EV comes with its own consequences. The problem is lithium for batteries and the skyrocketing demand for it, which requires the use of vast evaporation pools in Chile, the world’s second-largest source after Australia:
Raquel Celina Rodriguez watches her step as she walks across the Vega de Tilopozo in Chile’s Atacama salt flats.
It’s a wetland, known for its groundwater springs, but the plain is now dry and cracked with holes she explains were once pools.
“Before, the Vega was all green,” she says. “You couldn’t see the animals through the grass. Now everything is dry.” She gestures to some grazing llamas.
For generations, her family raised sheep here. As the climate changed, and rain stopped falling, less grass made that much harder.
But it worsened when “they” started taking the water, she explains.
“They” are lithium companies. Beneath the salt flats of the Atacama Desert lie the world’s largest reserves of lithium, a soft, silvery-white metal that is an essential component of the batteries that power electric cars, laptops and solar energy storage.
As the world transitions to more renewable energy sources, the demand for it has soared.
In 2021, about 95,000 tonnes of lithium was consumed globally – by 2024 it had more than doubled to 205,000 tonnes, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
By 2040 it’s predicted to rise to more than 900,000 tonnes.
Most of the increase will be driven by demand for electric car batteries, the IEA says.
Chile’s government has been encouraging the industry, but it comes at a price:
Mining companies predominantly extract lithium by pumping brine from beneath Chile’s salt flats to evaporation pools on the surface.
The process extracts vast amounts of water in this already drought-prone region.
There has already been a visible impact on the fauna and flora, because the underground water is a finite resource and does not natural replace itself at the same rate the miners are removing it:
Faviola Gonzalez is a biologist from the local indigenous community working in the Los Flamencos National Reserve, in the middle of the Atacama Desert, home to vast salt flats, marshes and lagoons and some 185 species of birds. She has monitored how the local environment is changing.
“The lagoons here are smaller now,” she says. “We’ve seen a decrease in the reproduction of flamingos.”
She said lithium mining impacts microorganisms that birds feed on in these waters, so the whole food chain is affected.
She points to a spot where, for the first time in 14 years, flamingo chicks hatched this year. She attributes the “small reproductive success” to a slight reduction in water extraction in 2021, but says, “It’s small.”
Naturally, the mining companies are allegedly listening, and planning to extract lithium directly from brine:
At one of their plants in Antofagasta, Valentín Barrera, Deputy Manager of Sustainability at SQM Lithium, says the firm is working closely with communities to “understand their concerns” and carrying out environmental impact assessments.
He feels strongly that in Chile and globally “we need more lithium for the energy transition.”
The locals are, understandably, less than convinced:
Sara becomes tearful when she speaks about the future.
“The salt flats produce lithium, but one day it will end. Mining will end. And what are the people here going to do? Without water, without agriculture. What are they going to live on?”
“Maybe I won’t see it because of my age, but our children, our grandchildren will.”
She believes mining companies have extracted too much water from an ecosystem already struggling from climate change.
Conversely:
There is a common argument from people who support lithium mining: that even if it damages the environment, it brings huge benefits via jobs and cash.
Daniel Jimenez, from lithium consultancy iLiMarkets, in Santiago, takes this argument a step further.
He claims that environmental damage has been exaggerated by communities who want a pay-out.
As ever, whether it’s ‘green tech’ or any other development in history, whichever you spin it, if you want to understand it, just follow the money. Next time you get lectured by a smug ‘I’m doing the right thing’ EV owner, just point them to this article. Perhaps one day they’ll be vilified by the eco-righteous of the hair-shirted future just as those who own diesel and petrol cars are now. It’s certainly looking that way.
The new German government is also sticking to the goal of climate neutrality in 2045. To achieve this, it relies on the 100% expansion of renewable energies for energy supply (apart from the planned 20 GW of gas-fired power plants with CO2 capture, which the federal government wants to allow to avert blackouts).
In my newsletters, I have repeatedly pointed out that the German way of energy supply, which is based almost exclusively on solar and wind energy
As the chart above shows, the global mean temperature in May fell compared to the previous month. The deviation from the long-term average of satellite measurements is now 0.5 degrees Celsius. The decline in global temperatures is clearly visible, as they continue to decline towards the long-term average. Today I want to deal with the unsatisfactory metal demand of the energy transition and the accelerated expansion of nuclear energy in the USA and China. Both are highly topical topics.
The expansion of renewable energies will fail due to the shortage of critical metals
The new German government is also sticking to the goal of climate neutrality in 2045. To achieve this, it relies on the 100% expansion of renewable energies for energy supply (apart from the planned 20 GW of gas-fired power plants with CO2 capture, which the federal government wants to allow to avert blackouts). In my newsletters, I have repeatedly pointed out that the German way of energy supply, which is based almost exclusively on solar and wind energy, will fail for the following reasons:
1. The costs of the energy system due to the extremely expensive storage of the fluctuating electricity supply will multiply and lead to deindustrialization and massive losses of prosperity. 2. The tripling to fivefold increase in solar and wind energy will lead to the destruction of the landscape, the habitats of many animal species and to a change in meteorological conditions that is difficult to estimate. 3. A secured, frequency-stable power supply is not guaranteed. (see Spain blackout April 2025).
Through a publication by Simon Michaux of the Finnish Geological Survey, we have now been made aware of a fourth reason that leads this path of the energy transition ad absurdum: The specific metals necessary for the installation of solar and wind turbines, cable trays, storage systems (batteries and hydrogen), e-vehicles and heat pumps, such as copper, nickel, lithium, cobalt, vanadium and graphite, are used according to Michaux will not be sufficiently available in the next 20 years. It is well known that the replacement of coal, oil and gas is only possible with a considerable amount of metals: A 6-MW wind turbine consists of 30-50 tons of copper and up to 300 kilograms of rare earths. An electric vehicle needs 10 kilograms of cobalt, 10 kilograms of nickel and 60-80 kilograms of copper, 4-5 times as much copper as a diesel or gasoline engine. Michaux’s calculation is based on the fact that today only 4% of the world’s energy supply is covered by wind and solar energy, 11.2% by hydropower and nuclear energy and 84.7% by fossil energies. If the world were to follow Germany’s example and replace the 84.7% share of fossil fuels with wind and solar energy, an additional 6000 million tons of copper would be needed. The annual production of copper is 28 million tons. The demand for a 100% renewable energy supply corresponds to 200 times as much. The following graph (source report, p. 242) puts the gigantic, additional consumption of critical metals in relation to the amount that can be extracted. Michaux assumes that not only the known reserves, but also unknown resources, such as seabed mining, are developed. In addition, Michaux expects the recycling volumes of the metals to increase. The case presented here, calculated by Michaux, requires an energy storage system for 28 days (battery/hydrogen) that can survive dark doldrums of 28 days. The result: In all cases – from copper to vanadium – the demand for metals exceeds the estimated availability including new sources many times over. (see the following graphic)
One can only be glad that no nation in the world is following the German pioneering path of a 100% solar and wind energy transition, but like the USA and China, for example, wants to base a large part of the future energy supply on nuclear energy and fossil sources and only wants to cover a part of it with renewable energies.
But even if Germany goes it alone without nuclear energy and without fossil fuels, it will pose problems for the world: If you break down Michaux’s global figures to Germany, which has about 1.74% of the world’s primary energy consumption, 1.74% of 6000 million tons of copper will have to be used in Germany until the goal of climate neutrality in 2045 is achieved. That is then 104 million tons of copper in 20 years. This corresponds to 15% of world copper production over the next 20 years (about 700 million tons by 2040, see page 254). This amount would have to be reserved for Germany, which today consumes only about 4% of world production (about 1 million tons per year). It is certain that such an increase in demand will cause prices for the energy transition to rise additionally. In addition, if the energy transition continues as before, we will have to knock very politely on the door of the Chinese, who have now secured almost 50% of the world’s copper production.
China dominates the world in 19 out of 20 critical raw materials
The International Energy Agency IEA’s Global Critical Minerals outlook 2025, published in May, revealed that China is the world’s dominant producer of critical metals and products, be it copper (45%), cobalt (80%), lithium (70%), graphite (95%) or rare earths (90%). (Source: IEA, 2025)
The last 5 years show that China is expanding its monopoly position (see next chart source IEA 2025). In copper, lithium, cobalt, graphite and rare earths, China has massively increased its world market share since 2020. This applies to wind turbines, solar systems, batteries, e-cars, electric motors and generators.
China will replace the US as the world’s largest nuclear power operator
On May 24, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order to accelerate nuclear power expansion in the United States. Electricity generation from nuclear energy is expected to quadruple from just under 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050. The U.S. has 95 operating nuclear power plants. In the last 40 years, only two nuclear power plants have been built. The last nuclear power plant Vogtle in Georgia had a licensing period of 15 years because the nuclear energy licensing authority NRC kept developing new requirements to prevent the expansion process. Therefore, the president has determined that the approval periods should only last 18 months. He has severely curtailed the rights of the NRC. Even 4th generation experimental power plants must be approved within 30 months. Interior Minister Dough Burgum said that if you want to win the race with China for artificial intelligence AI, you have to have enough reliable energy available. “What we do in terms of energy in the next 5 years will decide the next 50 years.” But China has used the last 20 years to develop its own competitive power plants (Hualong – Chinese dragon) from imported nuclear power plants (e.g. from Westinghouse or Framatome). China has now built nuclear power plants with a capacity of 58 gigawatts and will have completed another 10 nuclear power plants in 2026. (a Chinese nuclear power plant has 1.1 gigawatts) With 2.8 billion dollars for a nuclear power plant, China is building power plants that cost seven times as much in Europe or the USA. China’s plan is to produce more nuclear energy than the US as early as 2030. It is impossible that the West will be able to catch up with China’s lead in reactor construction, which is about 5-10 years.
Only the new German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (SPD) has spoken out against supporting nuclear power plants at the European level as a sustainable solution to reduce CO2 emissions. There will be no classification as sustainable power plants with the SPD, Schneider said. In Germany, people like to import nuclear energy electricity in dark doldrums, but at the same time they dupe their neighbours because they think they know better. What did Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen say? “Ridiculous”. Can you contradict him on that?
There are a plethora of new automobile engines their creators hope will capture the commercial marketplace in the near future. The engines are designed to run on methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen, and (surprise?) lithium. Another company has a motor shaped like a donut that operates inside the wheels.
There are a plethora of new automobile engines their creators hope will capture the commercial marketplace in the near future. The engines are designed to run on methanol, ammonia, hydrogen, nitrogen, and (surprise?) lithium. Another company has a motor shaped like a donut that operates inside the wheels.
Hydrogen
The Indian state of Kerala is pioneering the use of “green” hydrogen in transportation. The Kerala Green Hydrogen Valley project, initiated by the Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology (ALERT), is creating a complete hydrogen value chain to showcase how hydrogen can reduce emissions across industries.
Kerala wants hydrogen-fueled, rather than battery-electric, heavy-duty trucks to replace diesel trucks, as they can travel long distances without sacrificing carrying capacity. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation is focused on hydrogen buses. The Kochi Water Metro project has included hydrogen boats as part of an integrated transport system.
Despite these grandiose plans, India will need hydrogen refueling infrastructures which cost an estimated US$2 million per station – far above the cost of installing charging stations for battery-electric vehicles. Heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell systems also need improvements.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently boasted that a hydrogen-powered truck traveled over 1,800 miles on a single fill-up of hydrogen fuel. The truck – the H2Rescue – is a prototype developed by DOE in partnership with the U.S. Army, the Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, the Naval Research Lab, and Accelera by Cummins. No word yet when or even whether the experimental truck will be placed into real-world service.
The truck, powered by a Cummins Accelera hydrogen fuel cell engine paired with a 250-kilowatt traction motor, is being designed for use in emergency response, military, and utility scenarios. With an initial 386 pounds of hydrogen in its tanks, the truck traveled California roads during rush-hour traffic at speeds between 50 and 55 miles per hour.
Methanol
German engine manufacturer MAN Energy Solutions is developing a new dual-fuel methanol engine for the maritime industry. The MAN 175 DF-M is expected to be available for retrofitting into its successful MAN 175D high-speed engine by the end of 2026. Caterpillar Marine is also working on a dual-fuel methanol engine model set for field tests in 2026.
MAN’s dual-fuel engine is available in configurations with 12, 16, and 20 cylinders, each with an internal diameter of 175 mm for mechanical or electrical propulsion and onboard power generation with a power range between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm. The engine is optimized for ferries, offshore supply vessels, tugboats, and other working vessels. Customized versions can be fitted for superyachts and other marine applications.
The dual-fuel engine has already been awarded “fuel ready” certification from Det Norske Veritas, a global risk management and quality assurance organization based in Norway. The DNV certification affirms that the engine is optimized for diesel-electric and diesel-mechanical propulsion with the implementation of dual-fuel methanol technology.
Nitrogen
The Dearman Engine Company has been developing and researching a liquid nitrogen engine solution for over a decade. Beginning in 2014, DEC embarked on a project in collaboration with Ricardo, E4tech, MIRA, and leading British academic and research institutions to develop a zero-emission piston engine that runs on liquid nitrogen with the exhaust being cold air.
DEC says that liquid nitrogen’s benefits include its simple design with low production costs, as it utilizes most of the existing powertrain supply chain. The engine require minimal maintenance with no loss of capacity over its lifespan.
DEC claims that the energy provision of nitrogen engines is 700 times more powerful than that of hydrogen. Hydrogen engines use either combustion or electrochemical reactions, both of which must overcome problems with energy density and storage. But pressurized nitrogen turns turbines directly with minimum energy loss.
The nitrogen engine has zero tailpipe emissions and low overall greenhouse gas emissions, and its fast-refueling time is comparable to gasoline or diesel engines. The engine can harness waste heat from the coolant loop to integrate with other waste heat recovery systems; it can also provide both propulsion power and cooling.
DEC says this technology is highly relevant for industrial applications, mining, inland waterway applications, and the built environment. The only exhaust is cold air, conducted through the vaporization and expansion of cryogenic fluids. Ambient or low-grade waste heat is used as an energy source with the cryogen providing both the working fluid and heat sink.
Lithium
German researchers from the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau have introduced a prototype quantum engine powered by lithium. The engine operates by manipulating the quantum states of lithium atoms to generate energy.
Results of the university’s research highlight the engine’s potential to redefine energy production, opening doors to innovation like ultra-efficient quantum batteries that last longer and charge faster. This technology holds promise for applications beyond engines, potentially reshaping how energy is produced and consumed across industries.
For the engine to function effectively, lithium atoms must be maintained at temperatures nearing absolute zero to minimize thermal interference and ensure precise control over the quantum states. Magnetic fields shift atoms between the two quantum states of lithium atoms — fermion and boson states. This is the critical step in the energy conversion process.
Researchers found innovative ways to control the quantum states of fermions and bosons. Fermions cannot occupy the same quantum state simultaneously, but bosons can share identical states. The research uncovered a method to toggle between these states to optimize engine performance – yet to date, the prototype has achieved only a 25% efficiency rate, lower than that of conventional thermal engines.
The Donut Motor
Electric motor manufacturer Donut Lab has designed a donut-shaped in-wheel motor to power electric vehicles. The new motor has a big hole in the middle that allows it to fit perfectly into a wheel.
The donut motor fits into a 21-inch hoop, delivers up to 845 horsepower and 3,171 pound-feet of torque while weighing only 88 pounds. The resultant removal of drivetrain components, half-shifts, and other parts further reduces overall weight. With no motor housed in the vehicle’s body, there is extra space to increase seating area and cargo capacity.
Donut Lab claims its motors are up to 50% cheaper to manufacture, but the in-wheel motors make the wheels heavier than conventional wheels. This means they add unsprung mass (weight below the suspension) that can negatively impact handling and braking.
The company is also developing a version of its donut motor for semi-trucks that will provide 200 kW and 2,212 pound-feet of torque per wheel. The technology is already being used on the road in a few electric bicycles developed by Verge Motorcycles, Donut Lab’s parent company.
BMW, too, has developed its own in-wheel electric motor in partnership with Munich-based tech firm DeepDrive. The BMW in-wheel motor, currently in the testing phase, features a unique dual-rotor design.
This sampling barely scratches the surface of emerging automotive technology worldwide – but all of these reports were issued within a two-week period at the end of 2024. Innovation and free markets, not government mandates, continue to drive the future of transportation.
Duggan Flanakin is a senior policy analyst at the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow who writes on a wide variety of public policy issues.
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
Range-challenged electric vehicles could face further sales disincentives with a proposal from Britain’s top engineers that battery sizes be reduced by one third. In a just-published report on the supply of critical materials for Net Zero projects, the U.K.-based National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) points to an obvious fact – there isn’t anything like the amount of raw materials available to transition to Net Zero and most of the extraction processes required are an ecological disaster.
Range-challenged electric vehicles could face further sales disincentives with a proposal from Britain’s top engineers that battery sizes be reduced by one third. In a just-published report on the supply of critical materials for Net Zero projects, the U.K.-based National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC) points to an obvious fact – there isn’t anything like the amount of raw materials available to transition to Net Zero and most of the extraction processes required are an ecological disaster. The report sets out in terrifying black and white what is coming down the future political rationing track. The lack of resources to replace cheap and plentiful hydrocarbons is also noted in a new McKinsey report, which states that critical minerals face a supply shortage “as demand soars for raw materials to fuel [the] clean energy drive”. Current mineral supply could be as low as 10% of projected 2050 requirements, McKinsey suggests.
The NEPC brings together 42 engineering operations and is led by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Its report calls for “upstream mobility policies” to reduce transport demand via a shift from cars to buses, bikes and electric scooters operating in tandem with smaller batteries and alternative battery chemistries. The cynical might read this to mean that fanatical politicians such as the Mad Miliband mandate reduced EV range and throw further billions of pounds at yet more unproven technologies while ramping up the war on motorists.
The range of most EVs is not much cop to start with. Neil Winton is a senior contributor with Forbes and has looked in detail at the claimed ranges of EVs. He is not impressed with the figures supplied by manufacturers, writing recently that the Lexus RZ 300s, which retails at $71,350, has a claimed range of “up to“ 297 miles, but the battery only filled to an average of 224 miles. The problem is that range falls off a cliff at high speed, reports Winton. Sustainability Professor Peter Wells explains: “For an electric car, the extra energy required getting from 60 mph to 75 mph is astonishing and virtually doubles energy consumption to move all that air out of the way.”
Cutting battery size by a third or using low energy-density sodium batteries, as suggested by the NEPC, risks producing cars no one wants to buy. The only solution would be rationing using restrictions mandated by law. Of course, many such restrictions are already in force across Europe, where the traditional car industry and its large numbers of well paid jobs are being slowly destroyed.
The penny has been dropping about the obvious shortages of critical Net Zero resources for some time, although the public is mostly kept in the dark by the Net Zero-captured mainstream media. EVs are a particularly significant source of anticipated demand for critical materials, observes the NEPC, and a reduction in battery size could save 46,000 tonnes of lithium. This would stop the excavation of 75,000,000 tonnes of earth, enough to fill Wembley Stadium 19 times.
On the wider front, the NEPC says that developing new extraction infrastructure is slow and often risks worsening environmental and social harms. In the Baotou region of China, described as the rare earth capital of the world, toxic waste has contaminated groundwater. This has ended the local ecosystem’s ability to support agriculture and cattle rearing and necessitated the resettlement of whole villages. “Such pollution impacts can last for decades or centuries,” the report notes.
Over at McKinsey, the green light is being signalled for greens to dig up the planet to save Mother Earth from topping up CO2 plant food in the atmosphere. McKinsey reveals that demand for seven minerals could double in the next five years. These comprise lithium, cobalt, nickel, dysprosium, terbium, neodymium and praseodymium. Each is noted to serve specific functions in “clean” energy applications. Lithium demand could face a 700% surge. Significant shortfalls are forecast across multiple minerals by 2030. Supply of dysprosium – used in magnets for EVs and wind turbines – and terbium – useful in display electronics – could fall 75% below demand. Lithium, ubiquitous in batteries, may see its production targets fall by 40%.
Nowhere do the figures remotely add up. Indeed it is hard to comprehend the level of stupidity involved in those who plan the Net Zero disaster with no idea where the materials will come from or the costs involved. McKinsey writes of a significant scale-up of extraction but the energy transition is said to be in its early stages with “only an estimated 10% of required deployment of low-emission technologies by 2050 achieved in most areas”. In other words, it can only get worse.
There are also concerns about the geographic concentration of critical materials affecting the resilience of supply chains. The Democratic Republic of the Congo produces 75% of cobalt, while China processes 60% of all rare earth elements. Again to use other words, we must hope that greens don’t develop a conscience about child mining labour in the DRC, while the rest of us must desist from making disobliging remarks about the Chinese Communist Party.
Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor.
Alternative energy is exploding─literally. Lithium battery fires are breaking out on highways and in factories, home garages, and storage rooms. The rise in battery fires is amplified by government efforts to force adoption of electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries for electric power.
Alternative energy is exploding─literally. Lithium battery fires are breaking out on highways and in factories, home garages, and storage rooms. The rise in battery fires is amplified by government efforts to force adoption of electric vehicles and grid-scale batteries for electric power.
Lithium batteries have high energy density, making them valuable for phones and portable appliances. But when they catch fire, these batteries burn with high heat and can even explode. That’s why airlines prohibit lithium batteries in checked baggage.
On June 24, a battery factory in South Korea caught fire, triggering explosions and killing 22 workers. The fire broke out in Hwaseong at the Aricell plant, a maker of small lithium batteries for sensors and communications devices. Experts estimate that most workers were killed by toxic gases emitted by the burning batteries.
Scotland has suffered two major fires in battery recycling centers this year. On April 8, a large fire broke out at Fenix Battery Recycling in Kilwinning, North Ayrshire. More than 40 firefighters and personnel from six different agencies responded to the blaze, which burned for several days. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service urged nearby residents to remain indoors with windows closed as long as two days after the fire started.
On June 23, a large fire broke out at the battery recycling treatment facility of WEEE Solutions in Glasgow. Eyewitnesses reported explosions, noises like gunshots, “steel flying everywhere,” and a huge plume of black smoke. Ten fire trucks were needed, and the blaze lasted four days.
E-bike battery fires are now the leading cause of fires in New York City, with 216 fires last year. E-bike fires have become a serious problem in Australia, Canada, and other nations as well. Low-quality bike batteries self-ignite in first-floor storerooms, destroying the buildings above. Even high-quality batteries are prone to self-ignition after damage or when connected to a faulty charging system.
Lithium batteries have been used for the last 30 years in phones and small appliances. But the introduction of electric cars (EVs) after the year 2000 provided a massive increase in battery size. Lithium batteries for cars and trucks are 10,000 times as large as phone batteries.
On August 19, a Tesla semi-truck crashed into trees along Interstate-80 in California. The crash ignited the truck’s large lithium battery. Firefighters tried to extinguish the fire with thousands of gallons of water but were forced to let the fire burn itself out. The interstate was shut down for 15 hours. The California Advanced Clean Fleets Regulation passed last year requires all new heavy trucks to be zero emissions vehicles, which practically means electric trucks with batteries prone to fire.
Automakers have been wrestling with lithium battery fires for more than a decade. Alfa Romeo, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Porche, Tesla, and other manufacturers have recalled millions of EVs because of battery fire problems. Batteries can self-ignite while the vehicle is in motion, when connected to a charger, or even when sitting idly in a parking lot. EVs prone to self-ignition have been prohibited from parking at West Coast parking lots.
In August, a Mercedes-Benz EQE that had been manufactured in China burst into flames in a parking garage in Inchon, Korea. The EV had been parked in the garage for several days and was not charging at the time. The resulting inferno destroyed or damaged 140 vehicles.
On August 24, a fire broke out in the outside parking lot of electric truck manufacturer Rivian in Normal, Illinois. More than 50 trucks were destroyed. The same plant also reportedly suffered three other battery fires in the last year and three more fires in 2021-2022.
How are governments responding to the rash of lithium battery fires? They are doubling down, promoting the use of even larger, grid-scale lithium batteries as part of efforts to transition from coal, oil, and natural gas to wind and solar energy.
Grid-scale batteries are viewed as the solution to wind and solar intermittency, meant to store excess electricity when wind and solar output is high, and then release electricity when wind and solar output is low. But the number of grid battery fires is growing, and grid batteries are hundreds of times larger than EV batteries.
On July 26, a grid battery carried on a truck ignited after a crash on Interstate 15 near Baker, California. The battery was 20 feet long and weighed 75,000 pounds. I-15 was shut down for 44 hours as firefighters worked to put out the blaze. Hundreds of motorists were stranded in the desert in 100-degree heat. Ambulances, medical teams, and fuel and water were dispatched to the site to help stranded motorists.
On May 15, the Gateway Energy Storage facility using lithium-ion batteries caught fire near San Diego, California. Firefighters managed to get the blaze under control in 24 hours, but it then re-ignited twice more and burned for a total of 11 days. Evacuation orders to residents were issued and cancelled periodically, depending on the fire status. The Gateway facility was the largest of its kind when constructed in 2020.
Vice President Kamala Harris recently announced $1 billion in grants for electric school buses. If a diesel bus engine catches fire, the driver can usually put it out with a fire extinguisher. But this is not possible with electric buses, which explode when they catch fire. Let’s hope we’re not headed for fire explosions in electric buses full of children.
The world faces an epidemic of lithium battery fires. If government leaders continue to push lithium batteries and the green energy transition, battery fires will soon be coming to a location near you.
Steve Goreham is a speaker on energy, the environment, and public policy and author of the bestselling bookGreen Breakdown: The Coming Renewable Energy Failure.
The UK needs a comprehensive plan to reduce demand, reuse and recycle critical materials, such as lithium, to meet its net zero strategy goals and strengthen economic security, according to a report by the National Engineering Policy Centre, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering.
The report highlights the UK’s reliance on critical materials like lithium for batteries and magnesium for steel production, which are primarily sourced from global mining operations.
Key recommendations include reducing electric vehicle battery sizes by 30%, which could cut the UK’s lithium needs by 17%.
Professor Joan Cordiner, Chair of the National Engineering Policy Centre Working Group on Materials and Net Zero, said: “The way we extract and consume materials is unsustainable and we must address it urgently.
“Our report highlights the rising demand for critical materials, driven in part by their use in batteries, power systems and electronics.
“We are not the only country that will be competing for these finite minerals and we are calling on the new government to develop a materials strategy that addresses demand and reuse of critical materials.
“For example, if we reduced the size of the UK’s larger electric vehicle batteries by 30% we could cut our lithium demand by 17% and save 75 million tonnes of rock mined for lithium by 2040 – that’s the equivalent of 19 Wembley Stadiums full of rock.”
The discovery of the potential for thousands of tons of lithium to be extracted annually from wastewater generated by fracking in the Marcellus Shale leaves proponents of a green energy future at a crossroads, Republicans said Thursday.
A University of Pittsburgh study suggested processing byproducts from natural gas production in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale basin could potentially meet nearly half of U.S. lithium needs. The typical electric vehicle (EV) requires nearly 18 pounds of lithium to power its battery. That figure grows exponentially for Teslas, according to reports.
Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Pa., who represents much of the Marcellus territory, told Fox News he wants to see those on the left change their tune.
“Now nearly 40% of our nation’s domestic need for lithium can be found right here as a byproduct of fracking,” he said. “I fully expect every single Democrat to join Republicans in supporting domestic natural gas development.”
…
“Fracking may provide the cleanest, most environmentally friendly way to produce natural gas energy and harvest the domestic lithium we need for the green future endorsed by my colleagues on the extreme left.”
Could this possibly get any funnier? If greens want to alleviate the Lithium crisis, to provide for their EV revolution, they need to support fracking natural gas in Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale region.
A slowdown in the growth of electric vehicle (EV) demand has led to entire mines being shut down as the supply of rare earth minerals essential for EV components exceeds demand, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A slowdown in the growth of electric vehicle (EV) demand has led to entire mines being shut down as the supply of rare earth minerals essential for EV components exceeds demand, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Mines around the world are ceasing operations or halting construction projects in response to the falling demand, such as a $1.3 billion plant in North Carolina operated by Albemarle. which announced that it was deferring spending on the project amid the market turmoil, according to the WSJ The total market share of EVs rose from 3.1% in January 2023 to 3.6% in December 2023, while the share of U.S. vehicle inventory grew from 2.8% to 5.7% in that same time frame as demand fails to keep up with supply. (RELATED: California EV Sales Decline For First Time In A Decade As State Continues Green Push)
Over the last few years, global mineral producers have ramped up mining operations in an attempt to capitalize on the emerging EV market, but consumers have declined to adopt EVs at the rate producers were expecting, leading to rare minerals flooding the market and driving down prices, according to the WSJ. The market for metals is often subject to boom-and-bust cycles due to unpredictable demand and the slow speed at which mines can be brought into operation.
The price of lithium is down around 90% since the beginning of last year, and the price of nickel has been cut in half in that same time frame, according to the WSJ. A mine on the French Pacific island of New Caledonia recently suspended operations, despite providing more than 6% of the world’s nickel supply.
A scramble to secure strategic minerals such as copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel could increase price pressures and raise the cost of the climate transition, IMF economists write in the latest issue of F&D. https://t.co/X72oppqbAepic.twitter.com/hoqLoenEdb
The decline in mineral demand is particularly dire to the Australian mining industry and economy in general, with the country’s government recently designating nickel as a critical mineral to give corporations access to government grants in order to provide some stimulus to struggling companies, according to the WSJ. The collapse of mineral prices has led to a loss of more than one-fifth of Australia’s mine supply.
China controls around 87% of the world’s rare earth mineral refining capacity, leading the U.S. to attempt to subsidize projects outside of China to secure access to the resources. The Biden administration has included provisions in EV tax credits that require a certain percentage of minerals not to be from a foreign entity of concern like China to be eligible.
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