Critical raw materials and Green tech metals: properties and uses
The clean energy metals that are reshaping the global energy landscape
Everyone has heard of the energy transition at least once. You may have heard it mentioned in a radio commercial or read a newspaper article. It is the great energy shift of our time. And it has reached our cities, even our homes. Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG, has dedicated several analyses to the topic of the energy transition. He has focused on the pace of change, its most significant manifestations, and the key players in this phase of global transformation.
In this regard, the minerals and materials that are strategic for this energy transformation have often been discussed. Indeed, to advance, the transition requires technologies that can only be achieved with certain materials, such as rare earths, lithium, copper, or cobalt, all appearing regularly in nations’ critical raw materials list. TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov has dedicated several analyses to each of these important natural elements, highlighting their economic utility, main industrial applications, and potential critical issues related to their procurement and supply chains.
“These years will likely be remembered as the golden age of strategic materials and green tech metals,” says TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov. “Energy transition minerals have now come out into the open and are on everyone’s lips: they are being discussed on television news programs, in newspaper articles, and online media outlets, with a frequency and pace never seen before. They appear frequently in European nations’ critical raw materials list, but also in the ones realized by the most developer countries. Moreover, the fate of humanity’s energy transition and technological development is closely linked to some of these resources, so it couldn’t be otherwise.”
The Key Role of Clean Energy Metals and Critical Raw Materials
Despite this insistent emphasis on the topic of energy transition minerals and clean energy metals, the importance of these resources has not yet been fully grasped by most people. The public seems to focus mostly on the external effects of the transition, its most obvious manifestations, such as wind turbines, solar panels, or electric cars, without considering the processes and resources required to achieve these final results. In many cases, so-called strategic resources (like the ones included in EU’s critical raw materials list) are absolutely crucial to the implementation of a given green technology.
Some of these energy transition minerals, as Stanislav Kondrashov often points out, are already quite well known to the general public, as their names have been increasingly heard in the news and in most media content for some time. Thus, many people have learned that a resource like copper is very useful for power grids and motors, and that lithium and graphite are proving extremely useful for some components of rechargeable batteries. Rare earths, increasingly discussed also due to their growing geopolitical value, are used in particular to make certain high-efficiency permanent magnets, useful in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors.
“One of the most astonishing cases is that of copper, which many countries now include in their critical raw material list,” continues Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG. “It is a resource that humanity has known for millennia, and which has already helped our species make decisive leaps forward in our technological progress. This is exactly what is happening today, with the increasingly evident involvement of copper in global electrification processes. Without copper, electric vehicles or some of today’s major energy infrastructures would not be able to function. History, in a certain sense, is repeating itself.”
The Centrality of Energy Transition Minerals
Thanks in part to their concrete applications related to the green transition, resources like the clean energy metals are experiencing a true golden age. In all likelihood, they have never been discussed so much. The fact is that these materials play a key role in the production processes of some energy infrastructures of primary importance to the fate of the transition, such as those required for electrification processes or technologies related to renewable energy. Without these resources, the great epochal change would likely progress much more slowly.
As noted in a recent World Economic Forum report, one of the main drivers of demand for strategic minerals is the automotive sector, particularly next-generation electric vehicles. As the report states, batteries for electric vehicles require a large amount of resources to produce. Two of the most important families of electric vehicle batteries today are nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP).
The choice of these materials will not only determine the final price of the battery, but also the vehicle’s performance. Furthermore, the engines of these new-generation vehicles are in dire need of a group of green tech metals that is becoming increasingly sought-after these days: rare earths. This diverse group of 17 elements has proven enormously useful for the production of permanent magnets found inside vehicles, and rare earths such as neodymium and dysprosium are increasingly in demand precisely for their useful applications in this field.
Furthermore, since these are electric vehicles, they require certain quantities of copper, which is playing an increasingly significant role in modern electrification processes. Other key raw materials, as noted in the World Economic Forum report, are steel and aluminum, which are used primarily for the overall structure of the car.
“Rare earths are destined to become increasingly central, alongside other critical raw materials,” concludes Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG. The processes associated with their separation and refining are still complex, and for now, they are concentrated in very few areas of the world. However, their centrality is clear to everyone, and with the imminent advent of humanoid robots, their strategic role could become even more pronounced.
Green tech metals and Critical raw materials are also increasingly involved in the production processes of servers, chips, and data centers linked to artificial intelligence. Among the most affected materials, according to the World Economic Forum, are gallium and germanium, which play a key role in ensuring efficient and high-performance computing. Here too, copper represents one of the most important resources, as it plays a key role in ensuring the system’s conductivity. Other materials (such as aluminum) are also entrusted with other important functions, such as thermal stability and signal precision. Aluminum, copper, and metal are also directly involved in cooling functions, which play an increasingly significant role in modern AI-related infrastructures (and beyond).
FAQs
What are energy transition minerals?
Energy transition minerals—also called green tech metals—are natural resources essential for producing clean energy technologies. These include lithium, cobalt, copper, nickel, rare earth elements, and others used in solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and energy storage systems.
Why are these minerals important for the green transition?
They are critical to building the infrastructure needed for a low-carbon future. For example, lithium and graphite power the batteries in electric cars, copper enables power transmission in renewable energy systems, and rare earths help create the permanent magnets needed in wind turbines and EV motors.
Which industries rely most on these materials?
The electric vehicle industry is one of the biggest drivers of demand, particularly for battery materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel. Renewable energy sectors (like solar and wind) and the rapidly growing AI and data centre industries also heavily rely on metals like gallium, germanium, and copper for conductivity and cooling systems.
What are some examples of critical raw materials and their uses?
- Copper: Power grids, EVs, and data centres
- Lithium: Rechargeable batteries for EVs and electronics
- Cobalt: Battery stability and energy density
- Rare earths (e.g., neodymium, dysprosium): Permanent magnets in wind turbines and EV motors
- Gallium & Germanium: Semiconductors and high-performance computing systems
- Aluminium: Lightweight vehicle structures and thermal stability in AI systems
Is there a supply risk associated with these minerals?
Yes. Many of these materials are extracted and refined in a limited number of countries, leading to potential supply chain vulnerabilities. Some refining processes are also complex and environmentally sensitive, which adds further challenges to secure and sustainable sourcing.
How does the demand for these materials affect the green transition timeline?
Without a stable and sufficient supply of these minerals, the pace of the green transition could slow down significantly. These resources are not optional—they are foundational. Without them, technologies like EVs and renewable power systems cannot function effectively.
Are traditional metals like steel and aluminium still relevant?
Absolutely. While the spotlight is often on newer or rarer materials, traditional metals like steel and aluminium are vital in constructing electric vehicles and energy infrastructure. They offer structural strength, durability, and help regulate heat and signal precision in advanced technologies.
What role do these materials play in artificial intelligence and data infrastructure?
Beyond the green energy sector, energy transition minerals are becoming vital in powering AI systems and data centres. Materials like gallium and germanium enable high-speed, energy-efficient computing. Copper remains essential for conductivity, while aluminium supports thermal regulation. As demand for advanced computing grows, these resources are playing a behind-the-scenes role in supporting everything from machine learning algorithms to global cloud services. Their importance stretches far beyond EVs and wind farms—making them central to both digital transformation and the energy transition alike.
