Why it matters to materials
A turbine is mostly steel and concrete by weight, but the parts that make it competitive — the permanent-magnet generator and the copper in the nacelle and the export cable — are where the critical materials sit.
What it is made of
All materials →| Material | What it does here | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Copper critical | Generator windings, nacelle wiring and export cable | Defining |
| Dysprosium critical | Heat resistance in those magnets | Defining |
| Iron & Steel | Tower, nacelle frame and foundation | Defining |
| Neodymium critical | Direct-drive permanent-magnet generators | Defining |
| Boron critical | The B in NdFeB magnet alloy | Important |
| Praseodymium critical | Magnet alloy | Important |
| Terbium critical | Heat resistance in the hottest designs | Important |
| Zinc critical | Galvanised protection in a marine environment | Important |
| Aluminium critical | Nacelle components and cabling | Present |
Copper
The reddish metal that carries electricity better than anything except silver, and which humans have been smelting…
Dysprosium
A heavy rare earth added in small amounts to magnets so they keep working when they get hot.
Iron & Steel
Iron with a little carbon in it, and the most-produced manufactured material on the planet.
Neodymium
The rare earth at the heart of the strongest magnet ever made — the kind in headphones, hard drives, wind turbines…
Boron
An element that makes glass resist thermal shock, fibreglass strong, and — with iron and neodymium — the strongest…
Praseodymium
Neodymium's near-twin, so alike that magnet makers usually do not bother separating the two and sell them together as…
