Decarbonising materials for the energy system transition

The analysis finds that meeting 1.5°C targets in the EU will require massive quantities of steel, concrete, and glass, with cumulative emissions from material production reaching approximately 1.5 Gt CO2 by 2050. The authors argue that without decarbonising the upstream manufacturing of these materials via carbon capture and low-carbon hydrogen, the climate benefits of renewable energy deployment will be significantly constrained.

• For 1.5°C-compatible scenarios in the EU, the cumulative material requirements to 2050 for wind turbine deployment are over 140 Mt of steel and 360 Mt of concrete.
• Under the same 1.5°C scenarios, solar photovoltaics (PV) will cumulatively require 209 Mt of steel, 186 Mt of concrete, and 142 Mt of glass by 2050.
• The combined cumulative CO2 emissions from the extraction and processing of materials for wind and solar power in the EU are estimated to reach around 1.5 Gt by 2050 if upstream industries are not decarbonised.
• Annual CO2 emissions from material processing exceed 25 Mt/year for solar PV and 15 Mt/year for wind turbines.
• The production of steel and aluminium is identified as the primary driver for both energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the supply chain for these technologies.
• In 1.5°C-compatible scenarios, the combined demand for steel, concrete, cement, glass, and aluminium is projected to exceed current EU production levels by 2040.
• Decarbonising the material supply chains will require the rapid deployment of industrial technologies, specifically carbon capture and storage and zero-carbon fuels.

APA

Rostami, F., & Mac Dowell, N. (n.d.). Decarbonising materials for the energy system transition. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18091109/CATF_DecarbonisingMaterialsEnergyTransition_Brief_Final.pdf

Chicago

Rostami, Fatemeh, and Niall Mac Dowell. Decarbonising materials for the energy system transition. Clean Air Task Force, n.d. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18091109/CATF_DecarbonisingMaterialsEnergyTransition_Brief_Final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rostami |first1=Fatemeh |last2=Mac Dowell |first2=Niall |title=Decarbonising materials for the energy system transition |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18091109/CATF_DecarbonisingMaterialsEnergyTransition_Brief_Final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rostaminddecarbonising, author = {Rostami, Fatemeh and Mac Dowell, Niall}, title = {{Decarbonising materials for the energy system transition}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/18091109/CATF_DecarbonisingMaterialsEnergyTransition_Brief_Final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }