Electricity production involves consumption of non-energetic raw materials such as iron, copper or bauxite. Sustainability also means the efficient use of such resources. This table shows the cumulated resource requirements of the power generation systems considered here for selected materials. It covers the raw material requirements for power plant construction, fuel supply, and for the supply of other raw materials. The table only includes a small part of the various raw materials required and is therefore not a complete material balance.

However, results indicate that the relatively small energy density of solar radiation and of the wind leads to a comparatively high material demand. This high material intensity for wind and solar energy is an important aspect with regard to the generation costs.

Reference : OECD/NEA, "Externalities and Energy Policy: The Life Cycle Analysis Approach" Workshop Proceedings, Paris, France, 15-16 November 2001 Table 3, p 170.