Solar surface: silver thrifting?
…is a case study of silver intensity in the solar industry, which halved in the past decade, and could halve again. Conclusions matter for solar companies, silver markets, other bottlenecks….
Model of losses in a solar cell: surface, emitter and shading?
…contacts. Improved printing techniques may even allow for lower shading losses. More efficient cell designs (e.g., TOPCons) may also allow for slightly higher surface losses. Lowering silver content from 20…
LONGi: technology review and solar innovations?
…solar modules, with simple manufacturing techniques that may ultimately displace bottlenecked silver from electrical contacts. Key conclusions within. $499.00 – Purchase Checkout Added to cart LONGi is the largest solar module producer…
Switching gears: the most potent GHG in the world?
…deal with serious amounts of energy. The potential difference on either side of these electrical contacts can be large enough to literally rip the electrons off of air molecules, and…
TOPCon: maverick?
…cells, which will take some sting out of solar re-inflation, tighten silver bottlenecks and may further entrench China’s solar giants. $499.00 – Purchase Checkout Added to cart This report starts with our…
HJT solar: Indium summer?
…contacts, a transparent conducive oxide (TCO) thin film is needed. The most common TCO is ITO. ITO is 74% Indium (page 5). What demand for Indium in HJT solar, and…
Energy transition: active duty?
…Will the rise of the solar industry add 40% to total global silver demand, or will silver be entirely thrifted out? (note here). Will the entire lithium mining industry be…
New energies: the age of materials?
…using 20-30% less silver in solar modules, but new HJT cells are actually using 80-100% more silver, because this helps to deliver efficiency gains that deflate all of the other…
Bill of materials: electronic devices and data-centers?
…opportunities in vapor deposition equipment, advanced polymers, and ultra-high purity materials including tantalum, silver, gold, tin, et al. https://thundersaidenergy.com/2023/09/28/new-energies-the-age-of-materials https://thundersaidenergy.com/2024/04/04/energy-and-ai-the-power-and-the-glory Finally, the vast range of advanced materials used in electronic…
Electrowinning: costs and energy economics?
…of electrolysis. Electrorefining of metals was developed in the second half of the 19th century, applied first to copper, then gold and silver; in order to produce higher purity metals…