In 2025, with significant fluctuations in silver prices, "base metal substitution technologies" have rapidly emerged as a focal point in the industry, bringing the photovoltaic (PV) sector to a critical development inflection point: on one side, there is the technological gamble driven by short-term material cost reductions; on the other, there is the commitment to value based on long-term asset guarantees. At the heart of this wave, Tongwei's choice remains unwavering: uphold quality resolve! Counter volatility with reliability and deliver value through quality.

Data sources: World Silver Association, Guojin Securities, China Photovoltaic Industry Association (2025-2026 data)

Silver: The "Ballast Stone" for Decades of Reliable Operation in PV Modules

Silver, with its unparalleled conductivity and excellent chemical stability, stands as the core preferred material for metallization schemes in PV cells. More critically, the silver paste solution has been extensively validated through massive outdoor demonstrations over the past four decades in the global PV industry, ensuring stable operation for over 25 years as a mature metallization scheme.

True technological revolutions should be built upon reliability verification rather than being passively driven by cost pressures. Tongwei refuses to dilute the safety essence of its modules and will not sacrifice the long-term asset security of its customers for short-term cost advantages.

When Reliability is Sidelined, Who Pays for Customer Losses?

Currently, the market is abuzz with expectations for various substitution solutions, such as aluminum-for-silver and copper-for-silver. Over a 30-year lifecycle, any material substitution without cross-cycle empirical validation essentially transfers unknown reliability risks directly to end customers.

Who bears the invisible power generation losses? Take the copper-for-silver scheme as an example: the performance degradation caused by copper oxidation and its diffusion into silicon presents unavoidable physical challenges. The use of micron-thick copper electroplating without forming a unified conductive network, such as in multi-busbar schemes, results in an initial cell efficiency loss of over 0.2% compared to silver paste schemes. This means that for modules of the same technical type, those using copper electroplating technology have a power output 5W-10W lower per module than those using pure silver paste. For the same power plant, the "power deficit" of modules leads to sustained power generation revenue losses due to reduced installed capacity. The power generation decline of copper-electroplated BC modules in low-light conditions is significant, further widening the performance gap with TNC technology.

According to the power output ratio curves of modules tested by third-party laboratories under different irradiance levels, the power output ratio of TNC 3.0 modules is higher than that of conventional silver-grid BC modules, with copper-electroplated grid BC modules having the lowest output ratio.

Taking Tongwei's Yancheng color steel roof as an example, comparing only the front-side power generation capacity of the modules:

TNC 3.0 vs. Copper-electroplated grid BC: 3.23% higher power generation per watt

TNC 3.0 vs. Pure silver-grid BC: 1.69% higher power generation per watt

Furthermore, the long-term operational stability of other copper paste substitutes for silver paste requires further large-scale industry validation. The antioxidant chemical stability of copper paste grids in high-temperature and high-humidity environments, the electrical performance degradation caused by accelerated copper diffusion at high temperatures, and the module interconnection reliability due to the adhesion between copper paste conductors and dielectric films under extreme temperature differentials have not yet undergone long-term industry validation.

How to Avoid Risks from Unbroken Technological Bottlenecks? The aluminum-for-silver scheme faces core technological bottlenecks such as high intrinsic resistance and significant efficiency losses, limiting its continuous application and preventing it from meeting the demands of high-efficiency cells, affecting module performance, and rendering project return expectations  theoretical and impractical.

Who Guarantees the Residual Value of Assets throughout the Entire Lifecycle? When PV modules reach the end of their operational life, silver, as a globally recognized precious metal, can achieve a recycling rate of over 90%, providing robust residual value guarantees for power plant assets. In contrast, base metal substitution solutions have extremely low recycling value, and their complex purification processes increase disposal costs. From commissioning to decommissioning, the silver paste scheme truly achieves a closed-loop value throughout the entire lifecycle.

Tongwei TNC3.0: Safeguarding Customer Long-Term Value with Reliability and Efficiency

Tongwei does not reject industry cost reductions, nor does it refuse technological innovation. Instead, it always stands from the perspective of customer asset security throughout the entire lifecycle, using massive outdoor demonstrations as a yardstick to make the most rational and responsible technological choices. The silver paste scheme is not a cost burden but the optimal solution for ensuring long-term stable power generation of power plants, validated by four decades of industry experience.

High quality is the sole prerequisite for increased power generation. Tongwei selects the top three suppliers in the industry to ensure comprehensive leadership in product quality, stable supply, and cost control for incoming materials, locking in the long-term stable power generation capacity of modules from the material source and safeguarding the bottom line of customer asset security. Meanwhile, through technological advancements and process optimizations, we continuously drive incremental optimizations in silver consumption. Leveraging Tongwei's industrial synergy advantages, we maximize the mitigation of cost impacts caused by silver price fluctuations, elevating silver paste from a single conductive functional material to a value carrier that safeguards customer power plant assets and maximizes returns throughout the entire lifecycle.

Increased power generation is the ultimate demonstration of high quality. Take Tongwei's latest TNC3.0 as an example: the product incorporates Tongwei's self-developed high-efficiency cell technology and relies on industry-leading process optimizations to achieve dual breakthroughs in conversion efficiency and power generation performance while ensuring the long-term reliability of modules. Every technological iteration by Tongwei undergoes rigorous laboratory verification and multi-scenario outdoor demonstration tests, with all technological upgrades ultimately translating into tangible power generation gains and sustained stable asset returns for customers throughout their entire lifecycle.

As the industry is influenced by short-term cost pressures and uses "deduplication of silver" to compromise product reliability, TNC3.0 represents Tongwei's resolute answer. We always believe that for PV power plants, reliability is the highest form of cost reduction, and maximizing value throughout the entire lifecycle is the ultimate destination of technological innovation.