Silver-free solar power cells for affordable energy

This solution reduces the cost of solar cells and enhances their efficiency

Spotted: Every hour, the sun showers us with enough energy to power the entire world for a year. Despite this, only around two per cent of the world’s energy is sourced from solar power. This discrepancy is partly because of finite resources, with solar energy consuming 20 per cent of the world’s annual industrial silver. To enhance our capacity to capture the sun’s energy, Australian company SunDrive has identified copper as a more cost-effective and abundant alternative to silver for use in photovoltaic panels.

SunDrive’s unique copper plating technology provides a cost-effective replacement for silver and allows for application on thinner wafers, contributing to a reduction in silicon costs. Using copper also offers superior conductivity compared to silver paste, minimising resistive losses, and enhancing overall efficiency of the solar panel. SunDrive’s solar panels also boost efficiency in another way too, achieving a higher electrode line density to increase light absorption.

Considering copper’s cost is approximately one hundred times lower and its abundance is about one thousand times greater than that of silver, this exchange offers a more sustainable option. The company’s innovative approach will also enhance the appeal of solar investments, cutting high-efficiency cell installation costs by 20–30 per cent.

The Sydney-based company recently secured an A$11 million (around €6.6 million) grant to scale up its solar cell production line to a commercial level.

Springwise has previously spotted other innovations that aim to enhance our solar energy capacity, from AI-designed panels to solar technology that provides fossil-fuel-free energy for mining.

Written By: Georgia King