Featured in Phoenix rising – 03-2013

Silver lining for cost savings

Replacing silver: Silver is a metal with a volatile price; it can bring big gains or cause huge tumbles. With the International Monetary Fund predicting a 3.6% global expansion in 2013, from 3.3% in 2012, silver remains a sought-after commodity worldwide and in PV. Of late possible substitutes like copper, nickel and tin, among others, have been seeing success.

By

Shamsiah Ali Oettinger

01 Mar 2013

In the photovoltaics sector, the use of silver is predominant in the production of metallization pastes. Within a solar cell, there are approximately 250 milligrams of silver present. Used as a key element in the formation of contact grids, PV manufacturers consume approximately 11% of the world’s silver supply according to Bloomberg. The price fluctuation …

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