Moving away from oil and gas and toward solar, wind and hydropower: that is the energy transition. To stop global warming, we must shift our energy infrastructure toward renewable sources in the coming years. The large-scale construction of solar cells and wind turbines requires, among other things, minerals and metals. At the same time, the existing fossil fuel infrastructure is becoming obsolete. So, could we recycle parts of our old energy system to build a new one? Researchers from Empa’s Technology and Society laboratory investigated this question in a study.
Recycling fossil fuel infrastructure could save trillions in societal costs
