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Author(s)
Jeremy E. J. Streatfeild
Electricity supply is lower and costs are higher in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) than in any other world region. While several SSA countries have sought to address this issue through cross-border trade and investment in domestic infrastructure, these efforts have been greatly impeded by the high degree of systems losses—the difference between out and sales of electricity—as well as by electricity tariffs that are too low to recover utilities’ costs. This paper assesses the extent and economic significance of low levels of electricity supply in SSA, gives a regional overview of electricity generation levels, and discusses SSA countries’ efforts to engage in electricity trade in order to improve regional economies of scale.
Author(s)
Jeremy E. J. Streatfeild
Rising demand, failing infrastructure, and untapped potential for electricity generation in sub-Saharan Africa have created a substantial need for large-scale investment in the region. This paper identifies traditional providers of foreign and domestic investment in electricity generation in the region, discusses historical and recent trends, and assesses U.S. firms’ position in this market.
Author(s)
David Coffin , Jeff Horowitz
Electric vehicles (EVs) are a growing part of the passenger vehicle industry due to improved technology, customer interest in reducing carbon footprints, and policy incentives. EV batteries are the key determinant of both the range and cost of the vehicle. This paper explains the importance of EV batteries, describes the structure of the EV battery supply chain, examines current limitations in trade data for EV batteries, and estimates the value added to EV batteries for EVs sold in the United States.
Author(s)
Samantha DeCarlo, Daniel Matthews
Demand for cobalt—a major input in the production of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in electric vehicles (EVs)—is growing due to recent technological advancements and government policies designed to promote the use of EVs. This has led major automakers, battery manufacturers, personal electronic device companies, and their suppliers to attempt to secure stable supplies and develop new sources of cobalt throughout the world. Moreover, the rising demand for cobalt has led to global supply constraints, higher prices, and renewed drive in battery materials research for potential substitutes for mined cobalt.
Author(s)
Samuel M. Goodman
Photovoltaic energy production has increased dramatically over the past decade as manufacturing costs have decreased, power conversion efficiencies have increased, and demand for carbon neutral electricity has grown. Silicon-based solar cells represent the largest market share within the photovoltaic industry, with the remainder substantially composed of the thin-film materials cadmium telluride (CdTe) and copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS). The materials used in CdTe and CIGS are less common and their available supply is mediated by a long value chain. This article examines those value chains, including mining, refining, and solar cell manufacturing to discuss potential bottlenecks for future production. While there is enough of these elements to meet current and near-term demand, the production of CdTe and CIGS solar cells will be fundamentally constrained due to limitations when recovering raw materials from parent ores.
Author(s)
Elisabeth Nesbitt, Paul Thiers, Johnway Gao, Sharon Shoemaker, Manuel Garcia-Perez, Julie Carrier, Joy Doran-Peterson, John Morgan, Guangyi Wang, Pierre Christian Wensel, Shulin Chen
The Chinese government is vigorously promoting commercialization of renewable energy and bioproducts, given environmental issues plus food, energy, and national security concerns, according to Chinese industry experts at the August 2010 “China Bioenergy Workshop” and its related technical tours. Goals include replacing 15 percent of conventional energy with renewable energy by 2020 and providing necessary investment of about $800 billion. Government policies cited include financing (given the lack of venture capital), financial and taxation incentives, carbon taxes and credits, and mandatory usage requirements, but the speakers said more can and will be done. Although not yet released at the time of the workshop, the speakers expected the Twelfth 5-Year Plan to expand the momentum generated under the Eleventh 5-Year Plan. This commentary article highlights novel issues gleaned from the experts’ unique, “Con-the-ground” perspective of current and future bioenergy and bioproduct research and commercialization in China.