Green Energy
The following is an excerpt from an email sent by Sovereignman.com on 20th September 2023.
Let’s suspend reality for a moment and pretend that Klaus Schwab and Greta Thunberg are right… and that global energy should be 100% renewable.
What would it actually take to do this? Remember, solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries require lots of raw materials.
According to estimates by Professor Simon Michaux of the Geological Survey of Finland, achieving the Schwab-Thunberg-Fink dream world require:
- 218 million tons of cobalt
- 899 million tons of lithium
- 4.3 billion tons of copper.
Let’s tackle copper first.
In 2019, the world produced 22 million tons of copper. So, a full transition to renewable energy would require 100% of the world’s annual copper production for the next 195 years.
That means that, for the next two centuries, there would be ZERO copper left over for anything else. Only renewable energy. Also bear in mind that solar panels wear out after a few decades… So, after 195 years, the world will have had to replace all of its panels at least 5 times.
Now, if you think that’s a daunting challenge, lithium and cobalt are even more interesting…
Global lithium and cobalt production in 2022 were approximately 130,000 tons each. Therefore, based on Prof. Michaux’s estimates, the transition to renewable energy requires 1,676 years of annual cobalt production, and a whopping 6,915 years of lithium production.
No, those are not misprints.
In short, the climate fanatics don’t realize that their renewable energy dream requires so many raw materials that it would take nearly 7,000 years to mine all the necessary resources.
What would it actually take to do this? Remember, solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries require lots of raw materials.
According to estimates by Professor Simon Michaux of the Geological Survey of Finland, achieving the Schwab-Thunberg-Fink dream world require:
- 218 million tons of cobalt
- 899 million tons of lithium
- 4.3 billion tons of copper.
Let’s tackle copper first.
In 2019, the world produced 22 million tons of copper. So, a full transition to renewable energy would require 100% of the world’s annual copper production for the next 195 years.
That means that, for the next two centuries, there would be ZERO copper left over for anything else. Only renewable energy. Also bear in mind that solar panels wear out after a few decades… So, after 195 years, the world will have had to replace all of its panels at least 5 times.
Now, if you think that’s a daunting challenge, lithium and cobalt are even more interesting…
Global lithium and cobalt production in 2022 were approximately 130,000 tons each. Therefore, based on Prof. Michaux’s estimates, the transition to renewable energy requires 1,676 years of annual cobalt production, and a whopping 6,915 years of lithium production.
No, those are not misprints.
In short, the climate fanatics don’t realize that their renewable energy dream requires so many raw materials that it would take nearly 7,000 years to mine all the necessary resources.
