Scientists have just discovered a large number of antimony deposits. This rare metal is a key element in the development of cutting-edge solar technology. As an expert in the field of solar energy, I should be happy. But the problem is: The antimony mine discovered this time is located on the sea floor, where it has not been disturbed by humans.
People often ideally think that solar energy is a perfect clean energy source. The sunlight is directly converted into electricity, no emissions, no oil spills or pollution, completely clean. However, this view ignores the complex production process of solar panels.
Solar power is indeed clean and pollution-free, but some of the materials needed to produce solar power equipment are toxic or rare. Take cadmium telluride thin film solar cell technology, which requires the use of toxic cadmium and rare telluride.
Cadmium telluride thin film belongs to the second generation of "thin film" solar cell technology. Its light absorption capability is much better than that of most of the solar cells currently used in solar cells, so the absorber layer does not need to be as thick as it is now. The light absorption rate of a one-thousandth of a millimeter thick cadmium telluride film can reach about 90%. Compared to crystalline silicon thin films, cadmium telluride thin films are inexpensive, easy to install, and use less material.
Therefore, cadmium telluride thin film became the first thin film technology to complete the leap from laboratory research to mass production. Cadmium telluride solar modules currently account for about 5% of global solar facilities, and from a certain point of view, the cost of generating electricity is lower than that of crystalline silicon technology.
Is it cost-effective to make high-efficiency photovoltaic panels from precious metals?
However, the fatal flaw of cadmium telluride film lies in its own identity. It is one of the rarest metals on earth. Whether a technology using such a rare metal as a raw material is worth large-scale development, we must think twice.
The views on this issue have always been divided. The reserve of base metals is a big problem, but the objection is that they are scarce because no one has actively looked for new reserves. After all, platinum and gold are also similar rare metals, but the demand for jewellery and catalytic converters (the main use of platinum) has allowed us to actually get enough platinum and gold.
A submarine mountain range located on the northwest coast of Africa: Tropical seamounts were found to contain high-purity niobium. (Source: Google Earth)
The discovery of a large number of antimony deposits in the Atlantic Sea Ranges seems to prove that demand will drive the development of prospecting. According to British scientists involved in the discovery of the Germanium MineE-Tech project, the purity of the ore found was particularly high. Most of the niobium are by-products of copper mining, so the production is relatively low, and the purity of niobium in the seabed mineral sample is 50,000 times higher than on land.
Mining submarine deposits will be very difficult and pose a great threat to the environment. The top of the submarine mountain range where the antimony mine was found was located 1,000 meters below sea level and hundreds of miles from the nearest land.
Even on dry land, mining is by no means a good thing for the environment, not only forcing local communities to migrate, destroying forests, leaving huge scars on the earth, and in any case preventing them, it can easily lead to groundwater pollution.
What about the deep sea? Taking into account the technical challenges involved in this process and the original ecosystem on the seabed, I think most people can intuitively guess the destructive effects that deep-sea mining may bring. It is no wonder that although there are plans for mining along the coasts of Papua New Guinea, they have not been implemented. In fact, there is no indication that we will be able to mine tantalum in such deep seabed in the near future.
However, the existence of such resources, or the existence of products such as wind turbines and electric vehicle batteries that rely on rare materials or high-risk industrial processes, raises an interesting question: these are all useful low-carbon technologies, but are they Also need to comply with environmental ethics?
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It is often believed that people who work on renewable energy are all left-wearers who are sandals and keen on environmental protection. But this is not the case. After all, the renewable energy industry is big now and its ultimate goal is to replace fossil fuels, so we have reason to worry that this expansion may be accompanied by slack laws and regulations.
We know that solar energy is fundamentally good, but can we really just look at the results and not look at the process? Or, more frankly, if the mass production of solar panels is based on the premise of conducting mining and drilling similar to that of the fossil fuel industry Nothing less related to the hidden dangers. Can we bear it?
In my opinion, the answer is undoubtedly positive. We have no choice. After all, the large-scale use of solar energy can still erase our carbon emissions, helping to curb global warming and the consequent disaster.
The good news is that as the solar industry matures, its starting point is also higher and more environmentally friendly. For example, one of the costs of cadmium telluride power generation components is the recovery of materials. Rare resources such as thorium can be recycled after the battery's 20-year lifespan has expired (as compared to the fossil fuel-fired power generation process. For the blazing flames and a lot of carbon, it cannot be recycled).
Compared with the oil or coal industry, the impact of solar panel-related mining may be minimal, but it is not without effect. As the status of renewable energy technologies becomes more and more important, we may have to adjust our own expectations and take this into account.
To a certain extent, the mining of materials needed to find solar energy or wind energy can cause damage, and some industrial production processes are not zero pollution. The two evils are taken lightly. This may be the Faust contract that we must accept. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect.
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