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Mineral resources for renewable energy: optimal timing of energy production

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  • Adrien Fabre

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Mouez Fodhaz

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École des Ponts ParisTech - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Francesco Ricci

    (CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - FRE2010 - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - UM - Université de Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - Montpellier SupAgro - Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier)

Abstract

The production of energy from renewable sources is much more intensive in minerals than that from fossil resources. The scarcity of certain minerals limits the potential for substituting renewable energy for scarce fossil resources. However, minerals can be recycled, while fossils cannot. We develop an intertemporal model to study the dynamics of the optimal energy mix in the presence of mineral intensive renewable energy and fossil energy. We analyze energy production when both mineral and fossil resources are scarce, but minerals are recyclable. We show that the greater the recycling rate of minerals, the more the energy mix should rely on renewable energy, and the sooner should investment in renewable capacity take place. We confirm these results even in the presence of other better known factors that a ect the optimal schedule of resource use: growth in the productivity in the renewable sector, imperfect substitution between the two sources of energy, convex extraction costs for mineral resources and pollution from the use of fossil resources.

Suggested Citation

  • Adrien Fabre & Mouez Fodhaz & Francesco Ricci, 2019. "Mineral resources for renewable energy: optimal timing of energy production," CEE-M Working Papers hal-02056348, CEE-M, Universtiy of Montpellier, CNRS, INRA, Montpellier SupAgro.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpceem:hal-02056348
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.umontpellier.fr/hal-02056348
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    3. Ba, Bocar Samba & Soubeyran, Raphael, 2023. "Hotelling and recycling," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    4. Zhou, Sophie & Smulders, Sjak, 2021. "Closing the loop in a circular economy: Saving resources or suffocating innovations?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    5. Liu, Yang & Dong, Kangyin & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad & Dong, Xiucheng, 2024. "How do minerals affect the global energy transition? Metallic versus non-metallic mineral," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. Aldakhil, Abdullah Mohammed & Nassani, Abdelmohsen A. & Zaman, Khalid, 2020. "The role of technical cooperation grants in mineral resource extraction: Evidence from a panel of 12 abundant resource economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    7. Rahat, Birjees & Nguyen, Pascal, 2023. "Does ESG performance impact credit portfolios? Evidence from lending to mineral resource firms in emerging markets," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
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    9. He, Ruifang & Zhong, Meirui & Huang, Jianbai, 2021. "Technological progress and metal resource consumption in the electricity industry—A cross-country panel threshold data analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    recycling; renewable and non-renewable natural resources; mineral resources; energy transition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q3 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q2 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation
    • Q42 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Alternative Energy Sources
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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