www.earthtechling.com
17 Mar 2012
For years the energy industry was all about overpowering nature, outsmarting nature, beating nature. But the last decade or so of realizations about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions has led the energy industry right back to the laws and wisdom of nature. Now some engineers are looking at trees-which naturally absorb sunlight to create energy-for wisdom on how to build the most efficient solar panel. They are most interested in how to reduce the amount of silver in solar cells, a commodity whose price is increasingly volatile and expensive.
All silicon-based solar photovolatic (PV) panels use a silver-based paste for the panel's contact grid, using around 0.10 grams of silver for each watt of generating capacity, or about 20 grams of silver in a 200-watt panel, according to New Energy Finance. According to Bloomberg online, the solar PV industry consumes around 11% of the world's silver supply, with the cost of silver quickly rising from $20.24/ounce in 2010 to $35.30 in mid-2011.
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