Tool
What would it take?
Pick a technology and a quantity. The calculator multiplies out the material bill and puts each total next to the entire world’s annual production of that material — which is usually the number that changes how the answer feels.
1 × PEM Electrolyser — Splits water using a polymer membrane, platinum and iridium — fast-responding but catalyst-hungry.
Quantities are per MW of capacity indicative range tonnes of contained material
Scroll the table sideways for the remaining columns.
| Material | Per unit | Total, low | Total, high | World annual production | Share of a year’s supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 500.0–1,500 kg | 0.5 t | 1.50 t | 23.00 million tMine production, 2025 | 0.0% |
| Titanium | 200.0–600.0 kg | 0.2 t | 0.6 t | 370,000 tTitanium sponge metal production, 2025 | 0.0% |
| Iridium Loadings are falling but remain the binding constraint. | 0.3–0.7 kg | 0.0003 t | 0.0007 t | not published | — |
| Platinum | 0.1–0.3 kg | 0.0001 t | 0.0003 t | 170.0 tMine production: Platinum, rounded, 2025 | 0.0% |
Intensity ranges are indicative, compiled from published technology studies and chemistry — not a manufacturer specification. World production is USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, 2025 (estimated), converted to tonnes of the same basis where the source reports thousands of tonnes or kilograms · source ↗. This is an educational order-of-magnitude tool. It is not a procurement estimate and must not be used as one.