Also, aluminum would eliminate the problem of availability of copper.
And Aluminum is not a rare earth mineral.
Excuse my dumbness, but Is this the same aluminum they’re talking about? If so, won’t that leave big holes in the earth and still require electricity?
In the production of aluminum today by the Hall-Héroult process, the aluminum oxide is dissolved in a molten mixture of sodium, calcium, and aluminum fluorides, which melts at a lower temperature than cryolite. The aluminum oxide is in the form of bauxite, a white, brown, or red earthy clay; it was first found near Les Baux, France, in 1821 by P. Berthier, and is now the main source of all aluminum. It is mined in various parts of Africa and in France, Surinam, Jamaica, and the United States—mainly in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. The world’s supply of bauxite appears to be immense enough to last for hundreds of years at the rate it is being mined today.