Precious Metals In Solar Panels

Precious silver bullion metal we buy and sell here at sd bullion has more applications than virtually any other limited resource we use other than perhaps crude oil or fresh h2o.

Precious metals in solar panels.

But it needs the sun to work which makes it less practical in places where overcast days are common. But silver s cost contribution to solar panels outweighs its proportional expense over virtually any other application it has other than perhaps jewelry silverware or in 999 fine bullion coin or bar form. Researchers are using bacteria to give solar an energy boost. High performance batteries need lithium which is only easily extracted from briny pools in the andes.

It helps the world kick the fossil fuel habit it s clean and plentiful and leaves no carbon footprint. Thin cheap solar panels need tellurium which makes up a scant 0 0000001 percent of the earth s crust making it three times rarer than gold. Experts have found that the rare metals required to build solar panels such as indium and tellurium are not in sufficient supply to keep up with demand. However as cru notes in the report this would result in the need for more less effective panels.

There is also talk of substituting silver with copper in solar panel production. Two thirds of an ounce of silver in every solar panel may not sound costly given today s silver spot price. An average solar panel uses some 20 grams or 0 643 troy ounces of silver. Silver s use for solar panel manufacturing is around 80 million troy ounces per year or currently about 8 of annual silver supply.

In 2011 the average price of rare earth metals shot up by as much as 750 percent.