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Re:Rapid Green Energy Transition Will Likely Result in Trill... by tuatoru on Saturday September 17, 2022 @06:50PM (#32882385)
> We're probably short of copper.

While copper water pipes still have a market, I don't think we can claim to be short of copper.

Re:Rapid Green Energy Transition Will Likely Result in Trill... by 01100011 on Sunday September 18, 2022 @03:44AM (#32885381)
Copper prices are actually down quite a bit right now, but that may be due to previous hoarding in China coupled with economic slowdown and/or disruptions in their metals markets(see https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-18/tycoon-ru...).

There are quite a lot of analysts claiming we will be short on copper once the green revolution gets under way(remember, you're talking billions of new EVs, generators, increases in electrical distribution, etc). Think about it this way: all the energy currently delivered by fossil fuels(more or less, due to some efficiency gains) will need to be delivered by the electrical network. We're also busy giving improved living standards to the half of the earth that still lives in less-than-modern conditions. We're going to need to use more aluminum(4th most common element in the crust?) or we're going to run out of copper.

Re:Rapid Green Energy Transition Will Likely Result in Trill... by ncmncm on Sunday September 18, 2022 @04:52AM (#32885718)
If copper price is down, that means we have too much copper, not too little.
Re:Rapid Green Energy Transition Will Likely Result in Trill... by tricky777 on Sunday September 18, 2022 @11:58AM (#32888596)
reading the post is essential. here is the bit adressing this:

> that may be due to previous hoarding in China coupled with economic slowdown and/or disruptions in their metals markets

Re:Rapid Green Energy Transition Will Likely Result in Trill... by 01100011 on Sunday September 18, 2022 @07:06PM (#32892330)
If you look at the copper futures chart the current price is below a few peaks but it is still quite high, historically speaking. That is in the face of a real estate crash in China and impending global economic slowdown(a significant portion of which is due to energy malinvestment).

On a related note, the majority of new home construction does not use copper these days(both for cost reasons and performance reasons).