Materials Powering the Future of Energy

The Critical Materials Monitor aims to improve understanding of supply chains essential for the energy transition, the transition to more sustainable energy. It offers insights into the critical minerals required, outlines the components of key technologies, and provides in-depth reserve, production, and trade analysis.

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Copper

Copper

Copper is a highly conductive metal making it vital to the energy transition. It is the key material in wiring and can be found in power transmission and generation like wind turbines and solar panels.

Technologies and components that use Copper

Share of total world Copper, 2022

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) publishes annual summary reports that provide estimates of reserve and production statistics for individual minerals and materials in specific countries. Reserves refer to the economically extractable or producible portion of the reserve base at the time of assessment. Production signifies the amount of a mineral or material that has been extracted or manufactured within a certain period.

Traded commodities related to Copper

The United Nations Comtrade database provides detailed trade statistics by product and trading partner. Imported and exported products are classified under the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS system), used uniformly by most customs authorities around the world. Based on the latest update of the HS system and data available in UN Comtrade, you can find below the relevant commodities related to this material, including their HS codes and full descriptions.

We have classified these material-related commodities into four groups: Raw (unprocessed mineral ore in natural form), Processed (processed or purified mineral ore), Product (manufactured product or component from processed mineral), and Waste/Recycling (including recycled materials or waste products).

Product

Referencing

When citing any information on this website, please use the following citation: Columbia University CGEP. 2024. Critical Materials Monitor. http://criticalmaterialsmonitor.org

Contact

Critical Materials Monitor is run by the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. The project is led by Tom Moerenhout.
Contact us: criticalmaterials@columbia.edu.