solar

China processes around 90% of the world's rare earths, which go into everything from solar panels to smartphones, making supply of them to US manufacturers a key bargaining chip.

But the wind carried away the solar panels earlier this year.

The minerals are used in wind turbines and electric-vehicle motors, batteries and solar panels.

The South American giant holds the world's second-largest reserves of these elements used in everything from electric vehicles, solar panels and smart phones to jet engines and guided missiles.

Consumers also are paying more owing to the growing cost of building new power lines to connect wind and solar, and escalating “balancing costs” to supply electricity when intermittent renewable sources aren’t generating.