Column: How lack of copper could slow the energy transition

Copper is an efficient electrical conductor that’s relatively abundant, and there’s no obvious substitute. You can find it in all kinds of products, from toasters to air conditioners and computer chips. There are about 65 pounds (30 kilograms) of copper in the average car and more than 400 pounds in the typical home. Decarbonizing power networks, transportation and industry will require far more of it than is currently available. Millions of feet of copper wiring are needed to build the denser, more complex grids that can handle electricity produced by decentralized renewable sources and balance out their intermittent supplies. Solar and wind farms require a lot more copper per unit of power produced than centralized coal and gas-fired power stations. Electric vehicles use more than twice as much copper as gasoline-powered cars, according to the Copper Alliance. As a result, annual demand is set to double to 50 million metric tons by 2035, according to an industry-funded study by S&P Global. That assumes enough of the red metal will become available, which is far from certain.