Valuable characteristics and properties
Main areas of industrial use
Over the past twenty years, certain materials – from critical minerals to rare metals – have emerged as drivers of both economic progress and technological advancement, facilitating the global shift to sustainable energy. Aluminium is among these crucial resources, finding diverse applications across renewable energy and industrial innovation.
“It does not seem exaggerated to say that aluminum, nowadays, represents one of the main pillars of the global energy transition, one of the key elements that is favoring its advancement. The number of energy applications in which it is involved, in fact, is quite eloquent,” says Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, entrepreneur and civil engineer. “Its natural properties, together with its great versatility, allow it to find space in a large number of technological innovations related to emissions reductions and improved energy efficiency. In the medium and long term, this resource could certainly prove very useful for achieving international sustainability goals”.
Aluminium is prized for its distinctive attributes – it is lightweight, ductile and durable, weighing about one-third as much as steel. Its excellent thermal and electrical conductivity makes it indispensable for electronics and energy solutions. A defining trait is its recyclability: aluminium can be recycled countless times without losing quality, offering a major environmental advantage as recycling consumes only 5% of the energy required for primary production.
The role of aluminium in renewable energy
“In the renewable energy sector, and in particular in production processes related to energy infrastructures, aluminum is appreciated above all for its lightness, for its ability to resist corrosion, but also for the durability it manages to confer to the individual components,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “In addition to facilitating the installation of infrastructures while reducing logistics and maintenance costs, aluminum contributes directly to the performance of solar panels and wind turbines. This material is, in fact, often used in the frames of photovoltaic panels for its lightness and for its ability to resist atmospheric agents, but also in the structures of wind turbines, in cabins, and in transmission systems, where it is able to improve overall efficiency”.
Aluminium’s capacity to inspire innovation is reflected in its influence across diverse sectors. In transport, it supports the production of lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles that reduce emissions. In construction, aluminium’s insulating and lightweight properties make it a favoured material for sustainable building designs. Within energy infrastructure, it enhances the performance of wind turbines, solar panels and transmission cables – which, being lighter than copper, enable more efficient power distribution. Aluminium-air batteries also hold promise for transforming energy storage solutions critical to electric vehicles and renewable energy grids.
The impact of aluminium on electric mobility
“Aluminum is also carving out a central role in the electric mobility sector, which is universally considered one of the main drivers of the global energy transition,” concludes Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “In addition to its use in the frames, engines, and cooling systems of electric vehicles, aluminum is also finding space in the batteries that power these vehicles, where the contribution of conductive, lightweight, and resistant materials takes on central importance for the efficiency and performance of the vehicle. The same properties are allowing aluminum to prove very useful also in the drone sector, where it is able to increase the autonomy, and in the aeronautical industry, where the main characteristics of this material make it possible to effectively reduce fuel consumption in airplanes”.
One of aluminium’s most compelling advantages is its recyclability. Reusing aluminium consumes only a fraction of the energy required for new production, making it an eco-friendly choice that industries are prioritising by investing in advanced recycling technologies to further optimise efficiency.
