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Author: Govind Bhutada

5 Ways Nuclear Power Can Enable an Energy Utopia

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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The following content is sponsored by CanAlaska Uranium
nuclear power

5 Ways Nuclear Power Can Enable an Energy Utopia

The phrase Energy utopia describes a hypothetical and sustainable state of the world where energy is clean, affordable, and accessible. 

Despite the challenges on the road to achieving an energy utopia, such a state is attainable if the world invests in clean, reliable technologies that can meet our rising energy needs—and nuclear power is one such technology.

This infographic sponsored by CanAlaska Uranium explores five ways nuclear power can unlock a state of energy utopia. This is Part 2 of 4 in the Road to Energy Utopia series.

#1: High Reliability

Nuclear power plants run 24/7 and are the most reliable source of sustainable energy. 

Nuclear electricity generation remains steady around the clock throughout the day, week, and year. Meanwhile, daily solar generation peaks in the afternoon when electricity demand is usually lower, and wind generation depends on wind speeds.

As the use of variable solar and wind power increases globally, nuclear offers a stable and reliable backbone for a clean electricity grid.

#2: Clean Electricity

Nuclear reactors use fission to generate electricity without any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Consequently, nuclear power is the cleanest energy source on a lifecycle basis, measured in CO2-equivalent emissions per gigawatt-hour (GWh) of electricity produced by a power plant over its lifetime.

The lifecycle emissions (Read more...)

Visualizing Asia’s Dominance in the Titanium Supply Chain

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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The following content is sponsored by IperionX
titanium supply chain infographic

Asia’s Dominance in the Titanium Supply Chain

Titanium is a unique metal with important applications in defense, aerospace, automotives, and medicine. 

But before making it into all its end uses, titanium goes through a complex supply chain that involves both geopolitical and environmental challenges. 

This infographic sponsored by IperionX explores the titanium supply chain and highlights the countries that dominate it.

The Stages of Titanium Production

Titanium’s end-to-end production process typically involves five steps: 

  1. Mineral extraction
    The minerals ilmenite and rutile are the primary feedstocks for titanium production. These minerals are partly composed of titanium dioxide, which is later refined into titanium metal.
  1. Sponge metal production
    Ilmenite and rutile are refined into titanium sponge using the Kroll refining process.
  2. Ingots and melted products
    Titanium sponge is melted into ingots and other melted products.
  3. Mill products
    Finished products like bars, sheets, and tubes are manufactured from ingots. This process typically generates large amounts of machining scrap.
  4. Scrap
    Scrap or waste accounts for large material losses in the supply chain. The current scrap recirculation rate is less than 70%.

The Kroll process of refining titanium minerals to produce sponge metal is an 80-year-old method that involves high energy use and carbon emissions. It’s also heavily dependent on a few countries, primarily in Asia.

The Titanium Supply Chain

The mineral ilmenite accounts for 90% of all titanium (Read more...)

Visualizing the Past and Future of Energy Transitions

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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The following content is sponsored by CanAlaska Uranium
infographic on the past and future of energy transitions

Visualizing the Past and Future of Energy Transitions 

As the world gears up for clean energy, looking back at the history of energy transitions can help identify lessons for the future. 

What have shifts in the global energy system looked like in the past, and how can we accelerate the ongoing transition?

The above infographic sponsored by CanAlaska Uranium explores the history of shifts in the global energy mix and highlights the key to a faster clean energy transition. This is Part 1 of 4 in the Road to Energy Utopia series. 

Energy Transitions: A Brief History

Prior to the 1800s, people mainly relied on biomass like wood, dry leaves, and charcoal for heating and energy. Carriages driven by animals were the primary means of transport.

The first energy transition, from biomass to coal, began with the Industrial Revolution. This shift was largely driven by the rise of coal-fired steam engines, which found their way into railways, factories, and ships. 

To put that into perspective, here are the shares of different energy sources in the global energy mix since 1800: 

YearTraditional
Biomass		RenewablesNuclearCoalOilGas
180098%0%0%2%0%0%
185093%0%0%7%0%0%
190050%0%0%47%1%1%
195026%3%0%44%19% (Read more...)

Visualizing the Scale of Global Fossil Fuel Production

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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Scale of global fossil fuel production

The Scale of Global Fossil Fuel Production

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.

Fossil fuels have been our predominant source of energy for over a century, and the world still extracts and consumes a colossal amount of coal, oil, and gas every year.

This infographic visualizes the volume of global fossil fuel production in 2021 using data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

The Facts on Fossil Fuels

In 2021, the world produced around 8 billion tonnes of coal, 4 billion tonnes of oil, and over 4 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.

Most of the coal is used to generate electricity for our homes and offices and has a key role in steel production. Similarly, natural gas is a large source of electricity and heat for industries and buildings. Oil is primarily used by the transportation sector, in addition to petrochemical manufacturing, heating, and other end uses.

Here’s a full breakdown of coal, oil, and gas production by country in 2021.

Coal Production

If all the coal produced in 2021 were arranged in a cube, it would measure 2,141 meters (2.1km) on each side—more than 2.5 times the height of the world’s tallest building.

China produced 50% or more than four billion tonnes of the world’s coal in 2021. It’s also the largest consumer of coal, (Read more...)

Visualizing the New Era of Gold Mining

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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The following content is sponsored by NOVAGOLD
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Visualizing the New Era of Gold Mining

Between 2011 and 2020, the number of major gold discoveries fell by 70% relative to 2001-2010. 

The lack of discoveries, alongside stagnating gold production, has cast a shadow of doubt on the future of gold supply. 

This infographic sponsored by Novagold highlights the need for new gold mining projects with a focus on the company’s Donlin Gold project in Alaska.

The Current State of Gold Production

Between 2010 and 2021, gold production increased steadily until 2018, before leveling and falling.

YearGold Production, tonnesYoY % Change
20102,560-
20112,6603.9%
20122,6901.1%
20132,8004.1%
20142,9906.8%
20153,1003.7%
20163,1100.3%
20173,2303.9%
20183,3002.2%
20193,3000.0%
20203,030-8.2%
20213,000-1.0%

Along with a small decrease in gold production from 2020 levels, there were no new major gold discoveries in 2021. Meanwhile, annual demand for the yellow metal increased by 10%, up from 3,651 tonnes to 4,020 tonnes. 

The fall in production and long-term lack of gold discoveries point towards a possible imbalance in gold supply and demand. This calls for the introduction of new gold development projects that can fill the supply-demand gap in the future. 

Sustaining Supply: Gold For the Future

Jurisdictions play an important role (Read more...)

Visualizing China’s Dominance in Battery Manufacturing (2022-2027P)

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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battery manufacturing capacity by country infographic

Visualizing China’s Dominance in Battery Manufacturing

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.

With the world gearing up for the electric vehicle era, battery manufacturing has become a priority for many nations, including the United States.

However, having entered the race for batteries early, China is far and away in the lead.

Using the data and projections behind BloombergNEF’s lithium-ion supply chain rankings, this infographic visualizes battery manufacturing capacity by country in 2022 and 2027p, highlighting the extent of China’s battery dominance.

Battery Manufacturing Capacity by Country in 2022

In 2022, China had more battery production capacity than the rest of the world combined.

RankCountry2022 Battery Cell
Manufacturing Capacity, GWh		% of Total
#1 🇨🇳 China89377%
#2🇵🇱 Poland736%
#3🇺🇸 U.S.706%
#4🇭🇺 Hungary383%
#5🇩🇪 Germany313%
#6🇸🇪 Sweden161%
#7🇰🇷 South Korea151%
#8🇯🇵 Japan121%
#9🇫🇷 France61%
#10🇮🇳 India30.2%
🌍 Other71%
Total1,163100%

With nearly 900 gigawatt-hours of manufacturing capacity or 77% of the global total, China is home to six of the world’s 10 biggest battery makers. Behind China’s battery dominance is its vertical integration across the rest of the EV supply chain, from mining the metals to producing the EVs. It’s also the largest EV market (Read more...)

Titanium: The Metal of the Future

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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The following content is sponsored by IperionX
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Titanium: The Metal of the Future

Titanium is a popular metal, but are we harnessing its true potential or merely scratching the surface?

Despite having superior properties when compared to stainless steel and aluminum, titanium is produced and used on a relatively small scale. Its current applications are highly specialized, ranging from aircraft turbine engines to medical implants and military vehicles.

This infographic sponsored by IperionX explores titanium’s growth markets and potential for mainstream application in the future.

Titanium Production vs. Stainless Steel and Aluminum

Titanium’s high cost limits its applications and scale of production.

In fact, global titanium metal production is less than 1% of aluminum and steel production.

Metal2021 production (million tonnes)Price range per tonne
Aluminum67.2Mt$3-4K
Stainless steel56.3Mt$4-5K
Titanium metal0.3Mt$13-16K

Titanium is expensive because it is still processed and refined using the 80-year-old Kroll process. Invented by metallurgist William Kroll in 1940, the Kroll process is complex, energy-intensive, and carbon-intensive.

While titanium produced using the Kroll process is uneconomical for large-scale uses, cost-competitive and sustainably-produced titanium could kickstart a new Titanium Age.

The Growth Markets for Titanium

Titanium has untapped growth potential in many markets, but four industries stand out: 

  1. Aerospace:
    Titanium’s high strength-to-weight ratio and high melting point make it a critical material for aerospace and space exploration. (Read more...)

Visualizing 25 Years of Lithium Production, by Country

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

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Visualizing 25 Years of Lithium Production, by Country

Lithium Production by Country (1995-2021)

This was originally posted on Elements. Sign up to the free mailing list to get beautiful visualizations on natural resource megatrends in your email every week.

Lithium is often dubbed as “white gold” for electric vehicles.

The lightweight metal plays a key role in the cathodes of all types of lithium-ion batteries that power EVs. Accordingly, the recent rise in EV adoption has sent lithium production to new highs.

The above infographic charts more than 25 years of lithium production by country from 1995 to 2021, based on data from BP’s Statistical Review of World Energy.

The Largest Lithium Producers Over Time

In the 1990s, the U.S. was the largest producer of lithium, in stark contrast to the present.

In fact, the U.S. accounted for over one-third of global lithium production in 1995. From then onwards until 2010, Chile took over as the biggest producer with a production boom in the Salar de Atacama, one of the world’s richest lithium brine deposits.

Global lithium production surpassed 100,000 tonnes for the first time in 2021, quadrupling from 2010. What’s more, roughly 90% of it came from just three countries.

RankCountry2021 Production (tonnes)% of Total
#1Australia 🇦🇺55,41652%
#2Chile 🇨🇱26,00025%
#3China 🇨🇳14,00013%
#4Argentina 🇦🇷5,9676%
#5Brazil 🇧🇷1,5001%
#6Zimbabwe 🇿🇼1,2001%
#7Portugal 🇵🇹9001%
#8United States 🇺🇸9001%
Rest of World 🌍102 (Read more...)

The Rising Demand for Nature-based Climate Solutions

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

The following content is sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation.

The Briefing

  • Nature-based climate solutions include conservation, restoration, and land management projects that avoid, reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Carbon credits from nature-based projects accounted for over 66% of transaction value in the voluntary carbon markets in 2021.

The Rising Demand for Nature-based Climate Solutions

The world’s forests are important carbon sinks that absorb a net 7.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) annually.

Therefore, regrowing, preserving, and managing forests and other natural carbon sinks is crucial to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and nature-based climate solutions are one way to do so.

Nature-based solutions refer to conservation, restoration, and land management projects that generate carbon credits by avoiding, reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With more organizations committing to climate targets, carbon credits from these projects have been in high demand.

The above graphic sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation looks at the growing demand for carbon credits generated by nature-based projects using data from Ecosystem Marketplace.

The Growth of Nature-based Carbon Credits

With the race to net-zero ramping up, carbon markets have been growing as a whole.

In fact, the value of total transactions in the voluntary carbon markets in 2021 reached nearly $2 billion—more than tripling since 2020. Forestry and Land Use carbon credit projects led the growth, accounting for over 66% or over $1.3 billion worth of transactions in 2021.

Here’s a full breakdown of transaction values by project category:

(Read more...)

Visualizing the Five Drivers of Forest Loss

by Govind Bhutada
This post is by Govind Bhutada from Visual Capitalist

The following content is sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation.

drivers of forest loss

The Briefing

  • On average, the world loses more than 20 million hectares of forests annually.
  • Agriculture and commodity-driven deforestation each account for approximately a quarter of annual forest loss.

Visualizing the Five Drivers of Forest Loss

The world has lost one-third of its forests since the ice age, and today, approximately 15 billion trees are cut down annually.

Forests are wellsprings of biodiversity and an essential buffer against climate change, absorbing billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year. Yet, forest loss continues to grow.

The above infographic sponsored by Carbon Streaming Corporation highlights the five primary drivers behind forest loss.

Deforestation vs. Degradation

‘Forest loss’ is a broad term that captures the impacts of both permanent deforestation and forest degradation. There is an important distinction between the two:

  • Permanent deforestation: Refers to the complete removal of trees or conversion of forests to another land use (like buildings), where forests cannot regrow.
  • Forest degradation: Refers to a reduction in the density of trees in the area without a change in land use. Forests are expected to regrow.

Forest degradation accounts for over 70% or 15 million hectares of annual forest loss. The other 30% of lost forests are permanently deforested.

Driving factorCategoryAverage annual forest loss (2001-2015, million hectares)
Commodity-driven deforestationPermanent deforestation5.7
UrbanizationPermanent deforestation0.1
Forestry productsForest degradation5.4
Shifting agricultureForest degradation5
WildfiresForest degradation4.8
TotalN/A (Read more...)