Cobalt compounds will be crucial for rechargeable batteries 66 that are already powering hybrid and electric vehicles EV s and other batteries 67 for portable applications as well as for energy storage in stationary applications In addition cobalt provides durability to alloys and magnets required for green energy wind turbines Cobalt compounds are k ey mate rials in production of catalysts which are used worldwide to produce clean transportation fuels Thereby cobalt enables compliance with the EC s fuel quality as well as attainment of clean air and climate changelow carbon initiatives 68 R are earths are crucial in not only metallurgy metal refning and metal alloying catalysts in the automotive and the petrochemical industry colouring of glassceramics phosphors LEDs compact fuorescent lamps fat panel displays lasers rechargeable solid state bat teries NiMH and fbre optics but also vital for emerging technologies such as solid state fuel cells superconductors magnetic cooling hydrogen storage and highperformance permanent magnets used in a variety of hightech applications ranging from windturbines and hybrid cars to HD drives and cell phone speak ers and microphones This essential role of nonferrous metals in lowcarbon applications also highlights the importance of maintaining and fostering base metals production on which recoveryproduc tion of strategic minor metals depends In other words putting base metals industry at risk would entail placing strategical metals production at risk as well Bo x 3 EU Battery Alliance R ecognising the shift to electricbased transport power and industrial applications the European Commission launched the European Battery Alliance in October 2017 Battery production is a strategic imperative for the clean energy transition circular economy and in dustrial competitiveness which represents an annual mark et value estimated at 250 billion from 2025 onwards The EU s battery alliance therefore represents a strategic endeavour to create a competitive completely domestic battery value chain in Europe with sustainable battery cells at its core The EBA250 is a projectdriven community which brings together more than 250 industrial and innovation actors from mining to recycling with the common objective to build a strong and competitive European battery industry This includes a number of EU nonferrous metals companies and their associations who participate directly The Battery Alliance is guided by a strategic action plan which includes a comprehensive set of concrete measures to devel op an innovative sustainable and competitive battery ecosystem in Europe 66 Lithium cobalt o xide batteries nick el manganese cobalt batteries nick el cobalt aluminium o xide batteries 67 Nick el cadmium Nick elmetal hydride batteries 68 Cobalt Institute 2019a stations wires and cables For the buildings sector aluminium improves overall energy performance notably via windows curtain walls and ventilated facades T ailormade alu minium alloys can also be created Furthermore aluminium ofers highly efcient pack aging that uses very little material and that often has a lower environmental footprint than its contents In addition it provides an efcient barrier that helps reducing food waste Finally aluminium s lightweight properties 13 density compared to steel enabled cars produced in Europe in 2019 to prevent 50 million tons of unwanted CO 2 in vehicle emissions during their lifetime 60 Copper will be a crucial metal for the energy transition By 2027 more than 100 000 tonnes of copper will be needed to build 40 million charging points for electric vehicles coming on the mark et 61 Solar panels will require 3000 k g Cu MW wind turbines would demand 3500 k g Cu MW and efcient grids interconnectors subsea grid would need 400 K t Cu over ne xt decade 62 Copper demand will also grow e xponentially in a number of enduse sectors 63 Copper will therefore play an important role in GHG mitigation For every K g of Copper used in a motor 3 less tons of CO 2 are produced and for every K g of Copper used in a transformer 0 5 less tons of CO 2 are produced A tonne of copper in electrical systems could deliver a lifetime savings of 1007500 tonnes of CO 2 64 Zinc will contribute in diferent ways to the transition to a climate neutral economy Given that zinc prolongs the lifetime of steel constructions and vehicles there is lesser consump tion of primary raw materials lower energy consumption and reduced CO 2 emissions A galvanized steel structure of 500 t actually saves 57 T onnes CO 2 emissions compared with an equivalent painted system 65 Both zinc and platinum are used in fuel cells for grid storage and microgrid generation Zincbased energy storage systems such as primary zinccarbon and alk aline batteries zincair and zincsilver button cell batteries would be of critical importance too L arge zincbased energy storage systems ensure a constant energy supply from nonconstant energy sources wind and solar Moreover Zinc helps protect transmission towers ofshore windmill towers and carrier constructions for solar panels from corrosion thus ensuring their reliable functioning over a long period of time Ferroalloys and Silicon also help prolong the lifetime of steelbased infrastructure and vehicles thereby reducing primary material consumption energy and emissions Silicon is also used in lithiumion batteries anodes photovoltaic PV thin cells and wind turbine generators among the most relevant green tech applications 60A ccording to the European Aluminium 2019b Cars produced in Europe in 2019 contain on average insert data k g of aluminium Every kilogram of aluminium in a car has the potential to reduce the vehicle weight by 1 k g 179 k g of aluminium in a car reduces the CO 2 emissions by 14 gkm 61 International Copper Association 62A ccording to the European Copper Institute 2014 By 2050 copper alone could help reduce EU carbon emissions by 25 or around 1 100 million tonnes per year 63Lithium batteries 600 k g Cu MWh building with automation 10 Cu home with automation 22 k g Cu Electric vehicle 30 k g Cu Heat pump 8 k g Cu 64International Copper Association 65International Zinc Association 2012 MET ALS IN A CLIMA TE NEUTRAL EUROPE A 2050 BL UEPRINT 30