JA Solar told investors at an Aug. 28 earnings briefing it is continuing to
monitor precious-metal substitution technologies and has multiple R&D routes in
development. The silver-clad copper route is at a pilot mass-production stage;
internal analysis shows that at current silver prices it offers no clear
economic advantage and its reliability remain unproven. The company will
maintain long-term R&D investment and may adopt the route depending on
silver-price trends and technical maturity.
