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Another one in a series of studies on this topic. This one predicts an 87,000% increase in the demand for battery materials which is not very helpful. Exponential extrapolation from a small basis over a long time horizon can basically come up with any growth figure. The logistic growth curve is a much better and proven model for technology transitions.

"Demand for cobalt, copper, lithium, cadmium, and rare earth elements needed for solar photovoltaics, batteries, electric vehicle motors, wind turbines, fuel cells, and nuclear reactors is set to explode in the coming years as countries around the world invest heavily in greening their economies".

Orginal source: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6473/30 (though (also behind a paywall) and http://www.sussex.ac.uk/broadcast/read/50598. The latter mentions the 87000% figure referred to in the above comment.

In an interview during the annual CESCO week, Luvata's VP of metals sales Ian Scarlett said that the current warehousing activities are causing distortions to the LME's function as a market of last resort. The VP said he would like to see premiums reflect current market conditions and that some market players could distort the system, adding that the "copper value chain is broken." Mr Scarlett said that it is "not logical" for premiums to be rising during this current period of an increasing market surplus.

Pike Research, a clean-tech analysis and consultancy firm, reported that the number of cable projects will increase dramatically from 60 in 2011 to 350 by 2020, representing a CAGR of 21.6%. This is attributed to growing demand for offshore renewable power which requires both new and replacement grid interconnections to nearby landmasses. 53 of the 60 projects in 2011 are being deployed in Europe and the company expects that the demand from the region will continue to underpin the trend in high voltage submarine cable consumption in the future. It is thought that the supply chain will be stressed unless high voltage submarine cable production capacity, a niche market with only a few manufacturers, undergoes significant expansion.

"In Asia-Pacific, the vital Chinese manufacturing and heavy industrial sectors are at risk of defaulting on state-backed loans. Meanwhile, in Latin America, Brazilian, Chilean and Argentine suppliers are all suffering from lower soyabean and copper prices. "

According to data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, Japanese copper semis output advanced by 1% y-o-y to 70,000t in February 2011. The figure was down by 0.4% from January. It was reported that steady demand from the automotive sector, generated by strong emerging markets, offset a slower than expected recovery in the semiconductor industry. However, the association expects that output in March is likely to fall due to the impact of the earthquake. Fabricators experience supply chain disruptions, fuel shortages and power outages.

Japanese rolled copper product output fell by 3.7%y-o-y to 68,620t in March. This was mainly attributed to disruption to automotive supply chains following the March 11 disaster. The full impact of the decline of Japanese carmakers is expected to hit copper producers in the forthcoming months due to the expected two month time lag in copper demand. There is, however, optimism about the medium term demand outlook due to growing demand in air conditioner and housing utensil production in addition to the positive effects of the country's forthcoming rebuilding work. Company operations are expected to ramp up after factory repairs are anticipated to be completed towards the summer.

London-headquartered Luvata Group, a major semis fabricator, announced its intention to establish a new production facility in India as it endeavours to capture around 10% of this emerging market by 2015. The company anticipates that growth in the domestic heat transfer market will surge by 25% per annum, driven by demand from the processed-food, supermarket retail, horticultural crops and pharmaceutical sectors. Development of an effective refrigeration supply chain is one of the targets of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries and Luvata has highlighted opportunities in reducing the waste produced by India's large fruit and vegetable market.