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Providing the minerals that will fuel tomorrow.

Green Energy

From batteries to sustainable materials, EMA members mine minerals that contribute to the green energy transition.

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The Green Energy Transition

As the world transitions towards a greener and more sustainable future, the demand for minerals critical to renewable energy technologies is skyrocketing. These minerals, essential for the production of solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries, are transforming the global energy landscape.

Critical vs Essential Minerals

The U.S. Department of the Interior maintains a list of what are deemed “critical minerals,” which are deemed critical to U.S. national security and economy. These minerals have a high risk of supply chain disruption and serve an essential function in one or more energy technologies, including those that produce, transmit, store, and conserve energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy maintains a list of what are deemed “critical materials” based on criteria that sweep in additional minerals vital to green energy applications, such as copper and silicon.

EMA agrees with U.S. government objective to bolster domestic production of these minerals; however, it is short-sighted to exclude a number of other highly important minerals that are vital to everyday life in the United States.

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Green Energy Technologies

Without minerals, these technologies would not be possible.

Electric Vehicles Aluminum, ball clay, barite, boron, calcium carbonate, cobalt, copper, diatomite, feldspar, gold, graphite, iron, kaolin, lithium, magnesium, manganese, nickel, palladium, phosphate, platinum, salt, silicon, silver, soda ash, spodumene, talc, wollastonite
Solar Power Aluminum, boron, cadmium, copper, dysprosium, gallium, germanium, indium, lead, molybdenum, neodymium, nickel, praseodymium, quartz, samarium, selenium, silicon, silver, soda ash, tellurium, terbium, tin, ytterbium, zinc
Other Alternative Energy Sources (e.g., Geothermal, Hydro, Biomass, Wave Power) Diatomite, dysprosium, neodymium, praseodymium, samarium, terbium
Charging Infrastructure Copper
Wind Power Boron, dysprosium, molybdenum, neodymium, samarium, soda ash, terbium, zinc
Nuclear Power Dysprosium, gadolinium, niobium, praseodymium, promethium, salt, samarium, terbium
Energy Conservation Boron, gallium, kaolin, lanthanum, lutetium, uintaite, terbium, yttrium (e.g., LEDs, Lightweight Materials)
Energy Grid Storage & Transmission Antimony, graphite, iron, lead, niobium, zinc
Alternative New-Energy Fuels Iridium, molybdenum, palladium, perlite, platinum, terbium
Cleaner Fossil Fuels Anthracite, uintaite
Carbon Sequestration Magnesium
Weatherizing & Insulation Borates, calcined alumina, industrial sand, limestone, sodium carbonate

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