Rare Earth Element | The Green Economy Post: Green Careers, Green Business, Sustainability

Rare Earths and the Cleantech Paradox

By Rien Dijkstra on June 17, 2011 Comments Off on Rare Earths and the Cleantech Paradox advanced battery, Australian, China, cleantech, dysprosium, environmental, environmental remediation, environmentalist, erbium, fiber optics, green economy, Green Party, Green Partyrare earth, Green-IT, hazardous material, High performance alloy, high-tech, laser amplifiers, Lynas, Lynn MacLaren, magnet, Malaysia, mining company, neodymium, optoelectronics, praseodymium, rare earth, rare earth element, rare earth oxide, rare eath monopoly, Rien Dijkstra, Robin Chapple, thorium

In this post Rien discusses the paradox that pervades so much of the high tech and cleantech world; the world that is supposed ot bring us a green and clean future free from the polluting industries of the “old” industrial paradigm. AND yet, so much of cleantech (and high-tech) depends in often critical ways on rare earths. Rare earth mining and refining is a very dirty business that has lead to some pretty horrible pollution, mainly in the Chinese regions in which it is mostly sourced from. This post focuses on a major new refining operation that Australian mining giant Lynas is trying to open in the country of Malaysia; an operation that is being opposed both by Malaysian activists and by some Australian Green Party activists as well. It forces us all to ponder this paradox and ask ourselves just how green is the green economy?

Wind Solar Water Alone Could Power the World by 2030 New Study Claims

By Chris de Morsella on January 20, 2011 5 Comments base load capacity, biofuel, biomass, breeder reactor, California, Climate Change, concentrated solar thermal, Davis, electric energy, electrolytic hydrogen, energy insecurity, energy policy, fossil fuel, gen IV, Geothermal, hydroelectric, Institute of Transportation Studies, lithium, Mark Delucchi, Mark Jacobson, neodymium, nuclear, permanent magnet, photovoltaic, Platinum, pollution, PV, rare earth element, REE, renewable energy, solar energy, solar power, thorium, tidal energy, transportation fuel, UC Davis, University of California, University of Stanford, water power, wave energy, wind energy, wind power, wind turbine

A new study that is sure to create some controversy proposes that the world can provide for all of its energy needs, including electric, transportation, heating/cooling energy needs using only wind, water, and solar power by 2030.

[Updated] Will a Greening China Leave America in the Dust? Now They Have

By Chris de Morsella on March 28, 2010 6 Comments China, energy efficiency, fossil fuel, fuel efficiency standards, green economy, lithium, Premiere Hu, rare earth element, renewable energy, smart grid, solar energy, solar heating, solar PV, tantalum, US, wind energy

The way it is looking right now it sometimes seems like China is going to leave the US in the dust in the post fossil energy economy. Recent signs point to an increasingly green thinking China that is getting serious about greening its economy and making it much more energy efficient and one has a serious long term plan (and potential) to green its economy. Its wind and solar sectors are growing at a breakneck pace and are poised to continue doing so and within a few years — if this growth rate continues — will propel China into a world leading position in solar and wind energy production. In updated news the Pew Charitable Trusts has reported that China is now spending almost twice as much as the US is on investments in investments in clean renewable energy. Last year (2009) U.S. clean energy investments reached $18.6 billion, while China invested $34.6 billion in their clean tech energy.