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WA copper powder for solar panels
In order to efficiently respond to market demands, Pometon has developed a copper powder that offers a competitive alternative to the silver powder used in solar panels, while maintaining high performance.
COPPER POWDER: A NEW FRONTIER FOR THE SOLAR ENERGY MARKET
The global solar energy market is expanding rapidly: in 2021, it was valued at around USD 160.3 billion, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% from 2022 to 2030. The main drivers of this growth include strong regulatory support and investments in technologies that have reduced costs and improved the efficiency of solar panels compared to traditional energy sources. In this context, Pometon has developed a copper powder with a silver coating that can partially or fully replace silver powder in solar panels, allowing costs to be reduced while maintaining high performance.
The copper powder developed by Pometon has superior characteristics compared to other powders on the market, such as those from Japan or China. The electrical conductivity is better than competing products, and the effectiveness of the coating with only 15% silver is even higher than that with 50% silver, making it a very price-competitive product.
Performance tests showed that the electrical resistance of the coated copper powder is 8.14 Ω, very close to the benchmark of pure silver (6.41 Ω) despite a thinner silver layer, suggesting that, with adequate thickness, comparable conductivity can be achieved.
THE ADVANTAGES OF POMETON COPPER POWDER
Rising silver prices are having a significant impact on production costs: the price of silver rose from USD 808/kg in December 2023 to USD 1008.21/kg in October 2024, representing a significant increase. This forces companies in the industry to find cheaper alternatives, particularly with regard to the materials used in solar panels.
The copper powder proposed by Pometon, coated with 15% silver, significantly reduces silver consumption, leading to potential savings of around USD 855/kg compared to pure silver. This reduction in silver costs contributes to an overall 9% reduction in system costs, making this technology extremely cost-effective.
In addition, replacing silver with copper can significantly reduce costs per metre of solar panel or per kW of generated power. This makes Pometon’s solution particularly interesting for solar panel manufacturers who need to keep costs down in this market.