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Then we shouldn’t invest in photovoltaics either, because rare earth elements are also predominantly produced by these countries.

hkt 5y ago
Only because the extraction process is dirty and we aren't willing to do it as cheaply. Waste from mining other minerals is rich in REMs, and deposits are plentiful. "Rare" is actually a misnomer: https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements-actually-rare/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements...
- aaaaaaaaaaab 5y ago
  So it's pretty much like Uranium then. It's not rare, but we outsource its mining to autocratic regimes, because they're willing to produce it cheaply (while destroying their environment).
  - hkt 5y ago
    Pretty much. Worth shouting out that it is also sourced in former colonies that still have major dependencies on their old imperial masters. Niger/France have this relationship and Niger produces the majority of uranium used by the French nuclear industry.
ncmncm 5y ago
Photovoltaics do not, in fact, depend on rare-earth elements. Wind turbine generators often, but far from always, depend on rare-earth magnets. Batteries often (but far from always) depend on other rare, but not rare-earth, elements like cobalt.
- thow-58d4e8b 5y ago
  Also, the term rare-earth metal is really unfortunate. About half of them have no practical industrial use. The other half is neither rare, nor particularly expensive The three most important rare earth elements are lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium. The first two are about as "rare" as copper or nickel. Praseodymium is less abundant, about the rate of lithium or lead. Neodymium costs around $50 per kilo. About 3 kilos is necessary in an electric car. One container full of neodymium ingots is enough for 30,000 electric cars. It's not a geopolitical ace up the sleeve it's made out to be
  - ncmncm 5y ago
    Ytterbium used to be (carefully) splattered all over the screen of every color TV, to fluoresce red. Erbium is used in nanogram quantity in optical fibers to amplify signals purely optically. You shine a light on a fiber doped with it and the signal gets stronger.

hkt 5y ago

Only because the extraction process is dirty and we aren't willing to do it as cheaply. Waste from mining other minerals is rich in REMs, and deposits are plentiful. "Rare" is actually a misnomer: https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements-actually-rare/ https://foreignpolicy.com/2010/06/15/are-rare-earth-elements...

aaaaaaaaaaab 5y ago
So it's pretty much like Uranium then. It's not rare, but we outsource its mining to autocratic regimes, because they're willing to produce it cheaply (while destroying their environment).
- hkt 5y ago
  Pretty much. Worth shouting out that it is also sourced in former colonies that still have major dependencies on their old imperial masters. Niger/France have this relationship and Niger produces the majority of uranium used by the French nuclear industry.

ncmncm 5y ago

Photovoltaics do not, in fact, depend on rare-earth elements. Wind turbine generators often, but far from always, depend on rare-earth magnets. Batteries often (but far from always) depend on other rare, but not rare-earth, elements like cobalt.

thow-58d4e8b 5y ago
Also, the term rare-earth metal is really unfortunate. About half of them have no practical industrial use. The other half is neither rare, nor particularly expensive The three most important rare earth elements are lanthanum, neodymium and praseodymium. The first two are about as "rare" as copper or nickel. Praseodymium is less abundant, about the rate of lithium or lead. Neodymium costs around $50 per kilo. About 3 kilos is necessary in an electric car. One container full of neodymium ingots is enough for 30,000 electric cars. It's not a geopolitical ace up the sleeve it's made out to be
- ncmncm 5y ago
  Ytterbium used to be (carefully) splattered all over the screen of every color TV, to fluoresce red. Erbium is used in nanogram quantity in optical fibers to amplify signals purely optically. You shine a light on a fiber doped with it and the signal gets stronger.