Critical Raw Materials and Supply Chain Disruption in the Energy Transition

Abstract

The energy transition towards efficient energy production, transport, and use, renewable energy (RE) technologies and innovative energy management brings benefits to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and achieving climate targets. The transition requires resources, minerals, metals, and materials for RE technologies themselves, for example, solar photovoltaics (PV), hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs) as well as innovative supporting technologies for variable RE, for example, energy storage systems (ESSs). This requirement of resources and materials occurs over the whole supply chain of the technologies, from the extraction of resources, the manufacture of technology, and the deployment of technology, till the very end of its life cycle. In such context, the consideration of resources in general and critical raw materials (CRMs) in particular and their relations to the risk of supply chain disruption are highly important for achieving the global green energy transition. This editorial paper provides a brief view of the close connectivity between materials/resources and the green transition over the whole supply chain of energy technologies.