Since the beginning of the commodity downturn in 2011-2012, I have been vocal on the need to analyze each metal or mineral individually as they aren’t all created equal. You run the risk of throwing out the “baby with the bath water” and missing investment opportunities.
The same argument holds true when you look at individual demand components for a given metal or mineral. With that in mind, recent research I’ve done on the solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing industry has shed light on some astounding growth rates for one metal in particular: silver.
Solar Backgrounder
I don’t intend to enter into the debate about the economics of renewable energy here, but do believe that solar power is going to continue to become more and more mainstream as costs along the entire value chain continue to plummet. A good primer on how PVs work can be found here.
