Sustainable Minerals for the Energy Transition: Public Perceptions and Policy

Project Sponsor

This three year project is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Project Goal

Minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel are hard-to-substitute inputs in clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, and energy storage systems. While these minerals are critical for net-zero emission goals, their extraction and processing can be challenging due to market uncertainties, social impacts, and environmental risks. As a result, understanding public perceptions is essential to promote transparency and design inclusive and effective policies. This project aims to understand public awareness of the role of critical minerals in achieving a net-zero economy, and survey public perceptions on alternative policy approaches. With respect to achieving clean energy transition goals, we aim to evaluate different policy frameworks, including local content mandates, subsidies for innovative mining technologies, and incentives for procuring domestic minerals for clean energy technologies. 

Objectives

The study addresses the following research questions: How do individuals perceive critical minerals and related policies? How do individuals make trade-offs in their preference for locally and sustainably mined inputs? What policies are best to align private and social incentives? What roles do local mining companies and clean energy technology producers play in informing public views on critical minerals? 

Proposed Activities

We will use a national survey to understand public awareness of critical minerals used in energy transition technologies and perception of alternative policies. A choice experiment survey will be designed and administered to estimate willingness to pay for domestic mineral inputs used in cleaner energy technologies. Economic models will be developed to compare and predict the impact of a variety of policy approaches on mineral and clean energy markets.