Chapter 14 - Renewable energy technologies and their implications for critical materials from a sociology of consumption perspective: The case of photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles

Abstract

In the context of ongoing energy and mobility transitions, renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common among private households. This chapter sheds light on the interrelations between the production and the consumption of photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles and the resulting consequences with respect to embodied critical materials from a sociological perspective. Focusing on the demand side, the chapter elaborates on the sociocultural and sociopsychological functions of consumer goods. It shows why the use of critical materials in renewable energy technologies is mostly overlooked by consumers and concludes with a critical discussion of the role consumers of photovoltaic systems and electric vehicles play with regard to embodied critical materials.