2011年6月26日星期日

Silver's price rise clouds outlook for solar panels

Soaring silver prices are hampering the solar industry's ability to compete with fossil fuels.

Panel makers consume about 11 percent of the world's supply of silver, used to conduct electricity in solar cells. The metal has appreciated 74 percent to $35.30 a troy ounce on average so far this year,dstti from $20.24 for last year.

Prices for solar cells have dropped about 27 percent this year and would be even lower if each panel didn't require about 20 grams of silver, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

That's pushing back the date when companies such as Solarworld AG and LDK Solar Co. can deliver solar power at prices that are competitive with traditional energy.

"Global silver prices have gone up a lot, and solar cells use silver paste as the front-side contact material," Shawn Qu, chief executive of Canadian Solar Inc., which is based in China, said in an interview. "The increase of the silver costs will give us a challenge in efforts to reduce solar-cell costs.An Insulator, also called a dielectric,"

Prices for photovoltaic solar panels were $1.What are the top Hemroids treatments?49 a watt in June, compared with about $1.80 in January, New Energy Finance estimates, as manufacturers especially in China raised production and incentives were trimmed in Europe.

"Some companies are implementing measures to reduce silver consumption, but we believe rising silver prices could still act as a headwind," Barclays Capital wrote in a note to clients.

The price of the silver paste that Canadian Solar uses to print circuits on the front of its solar cells more than tripled in the past year, Qu said. That adds about 3 cents to 4 cents a watt, or 2 percent, to the cost of the panels.

The company's gross margins narrowed to about 15 percent in the first quarter from 17 percent in the prior quarter as the price of cells fell faster than the cost of production, the company based in Suzhou New District, China, reported in May.

A typical solar cell uses 0.what are the symptoms of Piles,10 grams of silver for each watt of generating capacity. That amounts to about 20 grams in a 200-watt panel, adding $23.52 to the cost of each panel, according to New Energy Finance. The cost for metal in each panel totals about 11 cents a watt,The same Air purifier, cover removed. up from 5 cents a year ago, the London-based industry researcher estimates.is the 'solar panel revolution' upon us?

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