China Threatens U.S. Alt Energy Plans

“Rare earths are critical to all future ‘green’ energy, especially with things like permanent magnets for windmills (not to mention the rare earths that go into those ‘efficient’ light bulbs.) Every large windmill, for example, requires about 560 pounds of a rare earth called neodymium, for the permanent magnet within the turbine system. There’s no substitute for neodymium. People have gone through the entire periodic chart, and only neodymium will work in large permanent magnets.

“The U.S. has NO locale for manufacturing permanent magnets. None. Zilch.”

“The West had better get serious about rare earths or we’re forfeiting the key industries of the 21st century to China.”

Rare earths are those materials you've never heard of which are used in high tech gadgets of all sorts. We don't produce them and China is cornering the market according to Ian Mathias in this brief essay. Those windmills the Obama administration wants are going to be very expensive.