Benefiting from the development of electronic appliances and photovoltaic industries, the market demand for silver powder continues to rise

Silver powder is the main raw material for the production of silver paste, accounting for more than 96% of the cost structure of photovoltaic beverage raw materials. The particle size distribution and dispersion of silver powder have a great impact on the conductivity, volume resistance and other properties of silver paste. Silver paste is an important raw material for battery cell production. It mainly plays a conductive role and has high application demand. Benefiting from the development of electronic appliances, photovoltaics and other industries, demand for silver powder in my country continues to rise.

According to the “Silver Powder Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospects Forecast Analysis Report 2021-2026” released by the Industrial Research Center, my country is As the world’s largest silver powder importing country, silver powder imports have shown a growth trend, from 1,900 tons in 2016 to 3,300 tons in 2020, reaching the current highest import volume. In terms of exports, my country’s silver powder export volume has shown a downward trend in the past five years, from 14 tons in 2016 to about 11 tons in 2020. In 2018, my country’s silver powder export volume reached the highest level, about 45 tons. At present, domestic silver powder is mainly imported from Japan, followed by the United States and South Korea, of which Japan accounts for about 85% of my country’s total silver powder imports.

Silver powder is mainly used in the production of photovoltaics and electronic appliances. Due to the different technological and economic development of various cities in the country, the demand for silver powder in various regions of the country is also very different. As domestic economic and technological entities, Jiangsu, Guangdong and Shanghai have high demand for silver powder. my country’s silver powder import demand mainly comes from Shanghai, with a share of 39%, followed by Jiangsu, which accounts for about 38%, and Guangdong, which accounts for about 15%.

my country’s silver powder market demand relies on imports, mainly from companies such as Japan’s DOWA and the United States’ AMES. Among them, Japan’s DOWA is a leading company in the field of silver powder. The products it produces are well dispersed and account for about 52% of the global silver powder market. Although the silver powder produced by DOWA has good performance, its price is high, resulting in high domestic silver paste costs and affecting the development of downstream industries. In the future, as domestic silver powder production technology continues to improve, there will be huge room for domestic substitution.

Driven by the development of the terminal photovoltaic industry, my country’s demand for localization of silver powder continues to increase. Silver powder manufacturers that are currently able to achieve mass production and have relatively stable quality include Suzhou Simate, Ningbo Jingxin, Suzhou Yinrui, etc. They have become the main domestic silver powder manufacturers and will accelerate the localization of silver powder.

Industry analysts said that silver powder is mainly used in the electronic appliances and photovoltaic industries. Affected by the development of information technology industries such as artificial intelligence, my country’s demand for electronic materials has increased. At the same time, driven by the “double carbon” goal, my country’s photovoltaic installed capacity continues to rise. Under the above dual benefits, my country’s silver powder market demand continues to rise, and the industry has developed rapidly. At present, domestic silver paste production mainly uses imported products. Imported silver powder is expensive and there is a high demand for domestic substitution. There is huge room for development of the domestic silver powder market in the future.