New JRC report highlights risk of rare earth metal shortages

JRC - European Commission
A shortage of five rare metals could slow down the development of the renewable energy market and of photovoltaics, according to a report published by the EU research institute Joint Research Centre (JRC). The Critical Metals in Strategic Energy Technologies report found that large-scale deployment of solar power technologies alone would require 50 percent of the current world supply of tellurium and 25 percent of the world supply of indium. Tellurium is used in cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film solar cells, while indium and gallium are used in the manufacture of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cells. Aside from the inherent scarcity of these metals, the risk of a shortage in these elements in Europe is primarily due to the continent’s dependency on imports, the increasing global demand, the fact that most of the supply comes from only a few geographical areas and geopolitical issues.