{"id":60115840,"date":"2026-01-08T16:04:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:04:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/?post_type=news_digest&p=60115840"},"modified":"2026-01-08T16:04:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T16:04:24","slug":"high-silver-prices-push-chinese-solar-panel-companies-towards-other-metals","status":"publish","type":"news_digest","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/digest\/high-silver-prices-push-chinese-solar-panel-companies-towards-other-metals\/","title":{"rendered":"High silver prices push Chinese solar panel companies towards other metals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Longi Green Energy, a very large solar photovoltaic (PV) company, said this week it is developing the capacity to manufacture its products using base metals such as copper, reports National Business Daily<\/a>.

The move is a response to the price of silver which rose by more than 130% in 2025, according to Time Weekly<\/a>. Longi expects to begin mass production with base metals in the second quarter of this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil is gradually ceding its position as the world\u2019s most important energy resource, Chinese energy observers have noted. In its place are arriving critical minerals needed for manufacturing clean tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PV modules typically use silver-based conductive pastes. Such paste replaced silicon as the most expensive ingredient in PV modules at the beginning of 2025, according to Gantanhao Technology<\/a>, a WeChat-based carbon industry channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as announcing price increases because of the rising silver price, several PV companies have begun exploring using lower-cost ingredients, mainly base metals such as copper and aluminium. Century New Energy Network<\/a> identified Trina Solar and Jinko Solar as well as Longi Green Energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver is important in the global transition towards clean energy. Besides solar panels, electric vehicles and charging infrastructure also consume significant amounts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, the global price of one ounce of silver exceeded that of one barrel of crude oil, for only the third time in history.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WeChat energy channel Global Net-Zero<\/a> said the sharp rise symbolises that “the old energy pricing system represented by oil is loosening, and new energy and strategic metals are entering the ranks of core assets.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Dialogue Earth\u2019s previous<\/em> analysis<\/em><\/a> about China\u2019s solar industry.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to high silver prices, companies are beginning to turn to base metals such as copper to build their solar modules<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60006649,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_has_post_settings":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[758,757],"tags":[17073,20000325,593,50029817],"country":[20000110],"digest-collection":[50039911],"class_list":["post-60115840","news_digest","type-news_digest","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-energy","tag-energy-transition","tag-industry","tag-solar","tag-supply-chains","country-china"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHigh silver prices push Chinese solar panel companies towards other metals | Dialogue Earth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In response to high silver prices, companies are beginning to turn to base metals such as copper to build their solar modules\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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