8.4 Global New Energy The following figures illustrate some of the global trends that will involve WA’s New Energy metals. Wind turbines are important to highlight, not only due to the continuing growth of renewables but mainly due to the large and increasing volume of rare earths required for their magnets. This increase in demand for rare earths enhances the New Energy metals trends discussed throughout this report.
Figure 26: Growth of onshore wind turbine size and numbers 26
Wind turbine annual onshore installed capacity by turbine size
60
30,000
50
25,000
40
20,000
15,000
30
20
10,000
5,000
10
0
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
0-500kW 500kW-1MW 1-2MW 2-3MW 3-4MW 4-5MW 5MW+
No. turbines
Source: windmonitor.iee.fraunhofer.de; Future Smart Strategies (21 March 2018)
The global growth of the number of wind turbines first slowed as wind turbines have increased in turbine size, but numbers are accelerating again as turbines move offshore and projects get larger. Offshore of Scotland, 6-megawatt wind turbines with 90m blade tips are already operating atop a 90-meter-high substructure ballasted with 5,000 tons of iron ore. By 2021, GE expect to be commissioning 12MW of offshore wind turbines. 71 These turbines require tones of specific New Energy metals. In the motor vehicle industry, the potential of electrification is not only an opportunity to reduce costs, use renewable energy to power motor cars but also reduce air pollution, especially in cities. The change is also about the coincident changes in connectivity, the role of artificial intelligence in bringing about self-driving vehicles, the subsequent impact this may have on flexible shared use and changing ownership models (Figure 27), and ultimately the impact that will have on global vehicles fleets.
71 Gerdes, J. (2018), GE to Deploy the World’s Most Powerful Offshore Wind Turbine in 2021, 02 March 2018, Green Tech Media, https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/ge-to-deploy-the-worlds-most-powerful-offshore-wind- turbine-in-2021#gs.MytRSqw . (Accessed: 01 May 2018)
Page 93
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator