Resource Uses
Natural Resources Used in Clean Energy
Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, power grids, electric infrastructure, and energy-storage systems all depend on materials taken from the earth. Clean-energy systems may reduce reliance on some fuels, but they still require large quantities of metals, minerals, industrial materials, and processed resources.
Energy & Materials
Clean Energy Still Begins With Physical Resources
Electricity can be generated without burning fuel at the point of generation, but the equipment needed to capture, store, transmit, and use that energy still has to be built from physical materials.
Copper and aluminum carry electricity. Steel supports wind turbines, transmission towers, solar structures, and industrial equipment. Silicon is central to many solar photovoltaic technologies. Lithium, graphite, nickel, manganese, cobalt, and other materials can be used in rechargeable batteries.
Rare earth elements are important in some high-performance permanent magnets, while concrete, glass, industrial minerals, and specialty metals help build the larger energy system around those technologies.
Major Clean Energy Resources
Materials Behind the Energy Transition
Different technologies use different combinations of resources, and the exact material mix can change with design, chemistry, geography, and manufacturing methods.
Cu
Electrical Conductor
Copper
Copper is widely used in electrical wiring, motors, generators, transformers, solar installations, wind systems, charging equipment, batteries, and power-grid infrastructure.
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Li
Energy Storage
Lithium
Lithium is a major material in many rechargeable battery chemistries used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and stationary energy storage.
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C
Battery Material
Graphite
Graphite is widely associated with lithium-ion battery anodes and is also used in industrial applications requiring conductivity, heat resistance, or specialized carbon materials.
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Ni
Battery & Alloy Metal
Nickel
Nickel is used in some high-energy battery chemistries and is also important to stainless steel and specialized alloys used throughout industrial and energy infrastructure.
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REE
Permanent Magnets
Rare Earth Elements
Certain rare earth elements are used in powerful permanent magnets found in some wind turbines, motors, generators, and other high-performance electrical technologies.
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Fe
Structural Material
Iron & Steel
Steel supports wind towers, turbine foundations, transmission systems, solar structures, industrial machinery, battery facilities, and much of the physical infrastructure surrounding power generation.
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Al
Lightweight Conductor
Aluminum
Aluminum is used in power transmission, solar frames, electrical systems, transportation, structural components, and other applications where conductivity and low weight are useful.
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Si
Solar & Glass
Silica & Silicon
Silica is a major feedstock for glass and silicon-based materials. Solar-energy systems can depend on high-purity silicon as well as glass, frames, wiring, and structural materials.
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From Resource to Electricity
Clean Energy Is a Material System
Generation is only one step. Storage, transmission, controls, and infrastructure matter too.
01
Generate
Solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, geothermal, and other systems require structures, equipment, wiring, and specialized materials.
02
Store
Battery systems can depend on lithium, graphite, nickel, manganese, iron, phosphate, copper, aluminum, and other materials.
03
Transmit
Copper, aluminum, steel, transformers, substations, towers, cables, and grid equipment connect generation to users.
Across the Energy System
Where Natural Resources Appear in Clean Energy
The resource mix changes depending on the technology and the role it plays in the energy system.
01
Solar Power
Solar systems can use silicon, glass, aluminum, copper, silver, steel, polymers, and other materials.
02
Wind Power
Wind turbines use steel, copper, concrete, aluminum, and in some designs permanent magnets containing rare earth elements.
03
Battery Storage
Battery chemistries can use lithium, graphite, nickel, manganese, cobalt, iron, phosphate, copper, aluminum, and other materials.
04
Power Grids
Transmission and distribution systems rely heavily on copper, aluminum, steel, transformers, insulation, concrete, and control equipment.
05
Electric Vehicles
EVs combine battery minerals with copper, aluminum, steel, electronics, permanent magnets, plastics, and other industrial materials.
06
Hydropower
Hydroelectric systems use large quantities of concrete, steel, copper, electrical equipment, turbines, and grid infrastructure.
07
Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy depends on uranium as fuel along with steel, concrete, copper, zirconium, and extensive industrial infrastructure.
08
Hydrogen Systems
Hydrogen technologies can require electricity, specialized metals, catalysts, compressors, storage vessels, pipelines, and industrial equipment.
09
Charging Infrastructure
EV charging systems use copper, aluminum, steel, semiconductors, electronics, transformers, cables, and grid connections.
Continue Exploring
Follow Clean Energy Back to the Resources
01
Battery Minerals
Explore lithium, graphite, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and other materials associated with rechargeable battery systems.
Browse Battery Minerals →
02
Copper
See why copper is fundamental to generation, motors, transformers, wiring, charging, batteries, and power grids.
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03
Rare Earth Elements
Understand the role of rare earth materials in permanent magnets, motors, generators, and advanced technologies.
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04
Electric Vehicles
See how battery materials, copper, aluminum, steel, electronics, and specialty materials come together inside electric vehicles.
Resources Used in EVs →
05
Critical Minerals
Explore materials whose economic importance can combine with concentrated or vulnerable supply chains.
Critical Minerals →
06
Resource Use Finder
Choose a technology or industry and see which metals, minerals, and natural resources commonly support it.
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Earth Value Index
Clean Energy Still Depends on the Earth
Solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, power grids, electric vehicles, and energy-storage systems connect the energy transition to a broad network of metals, minerals, industrial materials, manufacturing, and global supply chains.