Key Role for Copper in Renewable Energy: Facilitating High-Voltage Transmission of Electrical Energy

I’ll bet I’ve met 30 – 40 people here at the University of California at Santa Barbara’s annual Energy Efficiency Summit.  This year, the focus is on materials science, which explains the presence of a spokesperson for the Copper Development Association, the trade group for the metal’s industry.  No one doubts that copper is an element we associate with electricity – regardless of its source. 

In my conversation with the young lady, I was gratified that the group makes a big deal out of sustainable energy; in fact, I note that it has its own tab on their website.  But I found it odd that they’re not emphasizing what I think is the single biggest contribution that copper has to make here, i.e., facilitating transmission.

Sure, the future is going to feature a great deal of distributed generation, in which, by definition, transmission will become less, not more, important.  But what about the fact that the world’s renewable resources are regionalized – and tend not to be coincident with population centers?  We have sun in the deserts, but we’re starting to learn that living in places like Phoenix, AZ isn’t really the oasis we once thought.   The cost of cooling those 125 degree afternoons down to a decent temperature is starting to look increasingly unaffordable.  We have wind in the plains, but we’re not flocking to live in the Dakotas.  We have great tidal hydrokinetic resources in the extreme latitudes, but last time I flew over the Hebrides, they still looked peacefully barren, I’m happy to report.

I hope my new-found friend will take this to heart, and make this suggestion at their next meeting in which they rethink their strategic positioning.  Of course, she may be thinking: “free advice – and worth every penny.”