RESULTS

Case Studies

Key messages

Drawing implications from case studies on selected critical materials used in wind energy technology can bring together stakeholders relevant to wind energy technology, promote the use of the MinFuture framework, and benefit industries, governments, and scientific communities.

Importance & Challenges

Importance

Wind energy technology is essential for Europe’s transition towards a clean, secure and competitive economy. Wind energy technology requires several critical materials and the supply risk and recycling possibility may represent barriers to Europe’s widespread deployment of wind energy technology.

Challenges

Interoperable data and a harmonized common methodology are needed to understand the flows and uses of selected critical materials used in wind energy technology through all relevant stages (from mining to processing to use to waste management). However, data gaps within these stages are not explicitly identified and a demand-supply forecasting approach suitable for selected critical materials used in wind energy technology has not been tested out yet.

Approaches

Please note: The following text is taken from the existing MinFuture reports "Report on pilot studies" and "A systems approach for the monitoring of the physical economy". Please click on the afore-mentioned link to access and read the full publication.

  • A refined system was designed to identify and address the data gaps and inconsistencies of selected critical materials in wind energy technology within all relevant stages.
  • A bottom-up and stock-driven approach was developed to generate projections/scenarios on future flows and uses of selected critical materials used in wind energy technology.