The global clean energy transition is essential for limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C and achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. This review synthesizes evidence from peer-reviewed studies, policy reports and industry benchmarks, addressing the three interrelated pillars of the clean energy transition: clean energy technologies, critical material scarcity, and operational challenges. This study highlights that although clean energy technologies, particularly solar photovoltaics and wind power, have achieved cost parity with fossil fuels, their widespread deployment is still hindered by technical, material, and system-level challenges. The demand for critical minerals, essential for renewable energy technologies, is growing faster than mining supply chains can respond, exacerbated by high geographical concentration, price volatility, and low recycling rates. Furthermore, lifecycle and operational challenges, including premature asset retirement and grid integration issues, continue to hinder progress. To address these challenges, this review identifies four priority research areas: reducing material intensity through low-scarcity technologies, improving recycling and reuse systems for critical materials, optimizing smart grid frameworks, and promoting coordinated policy frameworks for fair cost allocation and mineral supply chain governance. This review offers a unified analytical framework to inform technology selection, infrastructure investment, and policy design, contributing to a resource-secure, sustainable clean energy transition.
Lyu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.