Solar panels contain twice as much silver today than they did five years ago, highlighting how important the precious metal is in just one technology needed for the green energy transition.
Yet its usage today in the panels comes after manufacturers tried to cut silver content to reduce costs, frustrating customers with lower panel efficiency, according to First Majestic Silver (TSX: AG; NYSE: AG) CEO Keith Neumeyer.
“Copper’s the highway, silver’s the glue” Neumeyer told The Northern Miner’s International Metals Symposium in London on Dec. 2. Silver is indispensable alongside other critical minerals in energy transition technologies like the rods inside nuclear plants, he said. They’re made with 80% silver.
Despite its green energy role, silver production faces permitting headwinds that slow its ability to meet demand, Pan American Silver (TSX: PAAS; NYSE: PAAS) CEO and president Michael Steinmann, said on the panel with Neumeyer. The Northern Miner podcast host Adrian Pocobelli moderated the discussion.
Silver production has “flatlined” over the last 10 years, during which it has fluctuated between 830 million and 850 million oz. per year, Steinmann said.
Meanwhile, silver prices, currently at US$29.51 per oz., would need to touch US$100 per oz. for a decade to change the supply fundamentals of the market, Neumeyer said.
Watch the full presentation below:
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