Rare earth metals are used in solar panels and wind turbines—as well as electric cars and consumer electronics. We don't recycle them, and there's not enough to meet growing demand.
The good news is that ample identified reserves for the renewable energy transition, at least, do exist. The key challenge is lead-times. It takes large capital investments and between 10-20 years to open new mines.
One solution is to find viable substitutions for rare metals. This holds some promise, but could also shift the burden to other metals. Another solution is for Europe and others to revitalise domestic mining industries using new technologies that can reduce their energy and water footprint. This could still be costly—and domestic reserves aren’t ample enough to rival the likes of China.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/a3ma ... ble-energyThis false idea that we can get something from nothing is a bold faced lie. There is not enough rare earth metals in the world for solar power. And the country that has the most also has large polluting mines that would make urban environmentalists faint. The world has a lot more fossil fuels than we do rare earth metals. Oil, gas, and coal are not renewable(for now), but they are a lot more abundant than the rare earth metals required for solar. Plus, we have our own raw materials.