Copper, a linchpin of the old energy economy, will play a crucial role in the new green one, too. Cables made of the metal are still the most cost-effective means of transmitting electricity from solar and wind sources, and it is a key material in charging stations and the electric vehicles that use them. Indeed, Goldman Sachs analysts say, there is “no decarbonization without copper,” which they call “the new oil.”
Supplies, already tight as the global economy recovers, could be further strained by a predicted fivefold rise…