The Secret War Behind Wind, Solar, and EVs

Mapping the global supply chains fueling the clean energy future.

Author

Philip Saparov
June 24, 2025

In partnership with

Greetings, discerning mind of global possibility!

Clean energy is booming—from EVs in driveways to solar panels on rooftops. But behind the green glow lies a hard truth: supply chains, not slogans, will decide the future.

Who owns the lithium beneath the Andes? Who processes the rare earths that power your car? And why are nations scrambling to cut dependence on China?

This edition unpacks the global tug-of-war behind the green revolution—a sharp look at the raw materials, hidden chokepoints, and quiet superpowers shaping the energy of tomorrow.

Let’s uncover who really controls the current.

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Electric vehicles are nothing without batteries—and batteries are nothing without lithium, cobalt, and nickel. But these materials don’t just appear in factories; they’re mined, refined, and shipped across a tangled web of borders and interests.

🇨🇳 China is the undisputed heavyweight, controlling over 70% of the world’s lithium-ion battery manufacturing and refining most of the global cobalt supply—much of which originates in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

🇨🇱 Chile, home to vast lithium brine fields in the Atacama Desert, is the second-largest lithium producer after Australia. However, debates over water rights and indigenous land use may slow expansion.

🇮🇩 Indonesia is rapidly becoming the nickel capital of the world. Its ban on raw exports and push to build local refining capacity has turned it into an essential partner for global battery makers.

🔍 Insightful data point: It takes over 250 tons of mined earth to produce a single 1,000 lb EV battery pack—such is the environmental and geopolitical weight of every electric mile.

For all the talk of decoupling and diversification, China remains the nerve center of green tech production. This is the result of decades-long industrial policy and strategic investment.

🌞 Solar panels? China produces over 80% of the world’s polysilicon and dominates module manufacturing.

🌀 Wind turbines? Chinese giants like Goldwind and Envision are not just domestic champions—they’re global players, increasingly active in international markets.

🔋 EV batteries? CATL and BYD are now among the most valuable battery companies in the world, supplying Tesla, Ford, and many others.

China doesn’t just make green tech—it controls much of its supply chain infrastructure, from refining to logistics.

🔎 Little-known fact: Xinjiang alone accounts for nearly half of the world’s solar-grade polysilicon—raising concerns about forced labor and ESG compliance in clean energy sourcing.

The U.S. is aiming to reassert its role in critical supply chains after decades of relying on overseas production. While the ambition is clear, the supporting infrastructure is still taking shape.

🇺🇸 Major investments are underway, including federal support for domestic battery manufacturing and mineral processing. Tesla, Ford, and other automakers are developing large-scale facilities across several states.

🇺🇸 Partnerships with resource-rich allies like Australia, Canada, and select African nations are expanding—designed to reduce overreliance on any single foreign supplier.

🇺🇸 The strategy also includes developing domestic sources of key materials like lithium and cobalt, though these efforts are still in early stages.

🔍 Looking ahead: The U.S. plans to meet its own EV battery demand by 2030—but today, it remains dependent on imports for most critical inputs.

Europe, often a regulatory leader in climate policy, has woken up to its green tech vulnerability. The EU is now scrambling to secure local supply chains—and reduce its reliance on foreign powers.

🇪🇺 The Critical Raw Materials Act lays out plans to mine and process more materials within EU borders while streamlining permits and funding new projects.

🇸🇪 Sweden is home to Europe’s first homegrown gigafactory, Northvolt, aiming to supply 25% of Europe’s battery demand by 2030.

🇫🇷 France and Germany are collaborating on “Airbus for Batteries” initiatives, hoping to replicate the success of European aerospace coordination in clean energy.

🔎 Historical parallel: Just as the 1970s oil crisis prompted energy independence movements, today’s “mineral moment” is redrawing Europe’s economic map.

5. Africa’s Role in the Green Energy Supply Chain

Africa plays a crucial role in supplying the raw materials essential for green technologies, yet much of the continent’s potential remains untapped when it comes to higher-value production.

🇨🇩 The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s top cobalt producer, accounting for around 70% of global supply. However, most of that cobalt is exported for processing abroad, primarily to China, limiting the region’s ability to capture added value.

🇿🇲 Zambia and 🇳🇦 Namibia are investing in domestic refining capacity and forging new partnerships to support more local development and diversify trade relationships.

🇲🇱 Mali and Zimbabwe have recently introduced export restrictions on certain minerals, aiming to encourage in-country processing and retain a larger share of the economic benefit.

🔍 Striking contrast: Africa supplies many of the minerals powering EVs and clean tech—but produces less than 1% of the world’s batteries.

Beyond the headlines, a few nations are quietly shaping the green transition by digging deep—literally.

🇦🇺 Australia leads the world in lithium production, driven by massive hard-rock mining operations. It’s also investing heavily in local processing to move beyond raw exports.

🇦🇷 Argentina, as part of the “Lithium Triangle,” is rapidly scaling up production with fewer regulatory constraints than Chile or Bolivia.

🇧🇷 Brazil, rich in nickel and rare earth elements, is gaining attention as a diversification target for Western companies wary of overreliance on Asia.

🔎 Global shift to watch: Lithium prices soared over 400% between 2020 and 2022, making it one of the most volatile—and strategic—commodities on the planet.

Rare earths might sound exotic, but they're essential for everything from EV motors to wind turbines and even smartphones. And controlling them is a big deal.

🇨🇳 Again, China looms large—mining around 60% and processing nearly 90% of the world’s rare earths.

🇺🇸 The U.S. has reopened the Mountain Pass mine in California, but still ships ore to China for processing—a strategic gap with major implications.

🇳🇴 Norway and 🇯🇵 Japan are exploring seabed mining and alternative sources, but these are years from commercial scale.

🔍 Unexpected reality: Despite being called “rare,” rare earths are fairly abundant in the Earth’s crust. The real challenge? Processing them safely, cleanly, and at scale.

As nations race to go green, a parallel contest is underway—one of control, influence, and long-term leverage. Supply chains are the battleground, and whoever secures them writes the future of energy.

For our readers, this matters. Where you invest, where you relocate, and what you believe about “sustainability” is all tied to who controls the flow.

Stay curious. Stay watchful. Because clean energy may be green—but it’s anything but simple.

Warm regards,

Shane Fulmer
Founder, WorldPopulationReview.com

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