Silver, once prized for jewelry and currency making, is becoming a staple of the green transition.

The precious metal has broad uses in things like solar panels, electric vehicles, water filters, and hydrogen fuel. This transformation has redefined silver's usefulness, making it a favorite among sustainability mavens—so much so that it could be one of the vital instruments in decarbonizing lifestyles and economies around the world.

This increasing importance is, of course, giving rise to silver's value. Silver futures are trending up now that it's a necessity for the latest vehicles, communication tools, and certain health applications.

Silver prices are near a 10-year high but still hold about three-quarters as much value as they did in 2011, which marked a second peak after a silver shortage and failed market takeover in 1979 and 1980. That most recent spike in 2011 was brought on by debt crises in the United States and Europe.

It's not the first time there has been a massive shift in the silver business. Silver mining and smithing began in 3000 B.C.E. in Anatolia (or Asia Minor, in modern Türkiye), and the 47th chemical element helped advanced civilizations everywhere, including Greece, North Africa, Spain, and the Roman Empire. Coins and, yes, silverware are some of the many initial uses of silver, but it was also a decorative component for designers and craftspeople.

As explorers rampaged through the New World millennia later, they found a new source of silver, moving the center of production into the Americas. From the 16th through 18th centuries, what are now Mexico, Bolivia, and Peru supplied billions of troy ounces of silver, accounting for 85% of global output. Those countries today produce more than 40% of the world's silver. For example, the appetite for silver in the solar energy market is so high that University of New South Wales researchers suggest it would require at least 85% of global silver reserves by 2050.

To gauge silver's role in reducing carbon pollution as part of the green economy's sustainable initiatives, SD Bullion researched how people use it, with information from The Silver Institute, the Royal Canadian Mint, CarbonCredits.com, and others.

Silver increasingly used as electrical component

Silver demand is outpacing supply, and that might be due to climbing industrial needs, which have reached 64% of the global demand, a 19% increase from last year, MarketPulse reported.

Silver is still widely used to make jewelry and housewares, but its other applications are growing exponentially. Industrial demand is expected to increase by 46% through 2033, and China will drive a 55% increase in one of those areas: electrical and electronics uses, according to The Silver Institute.

This demand includes projected rises in the production of photovoltaic panels as well as switches, connectors, fuses, and other components of EVs. In 2022, the electrical and electronics industries used two-thirds of all industrial silver sold, and by the end of the next decade, China will be home to 60% of industrial production. These two sectors are important because they're the most visible way for consumers to participate in the clean economy, and the Biden-Harris administration, with its Inflation Reduction Act and other legislation, has been subsidizing such choices.

Silver's conductivity and low resistance make it perfect for solar panels. It's applied in a paste to silicon atop the cells to capture energy from the sun as efficiently as possible. The same features also make it well suited for electric vehicles. Silver increases battery storage capabilities and allows "every electrical connection in a modern car" to be activated and function optimally, The Silver Institute reports.

The automotive industry will continue to increase its use of the metal, as EVs and associated infrastructure, such as charging stations, require more silver than engines that run on internal combustion. 

Silver's other important uses

Other less headline-worthy developments may be more beneficial—at least for the people suffering from the effects of rising global temperatures.

Water scarcity is one consequence of the climate crisis, caused by the overuse of dirty energy sources that bring more frequent and severe extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. These events knock out power and often devastate communities, making access to clean water, a fundamental human right, hard to come by. Silver can help. The metal is used with Indigenous pottery to filter and clean water.

Disease incidences, too, are rising as ticks and other creatures expand their ranges and increase contact with humans. Silver's ability to prevent infections is vital here; the substance is used in bandages, breathing tubes, and surgical instruments. Hospitals will undoubtedly keep turning to it, as it can stave off antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The green economy is nothing if not aspirational, and silver has a place there, too. Hydrogen fuel is even cleaner than other renewable energy sources, resulting only in water emissions. Silver is used as a catalyst in the cells to facilitate a reaction between hydrogen and oxygen, which could lower the cost of production versus using platinum metals and broaden the application of green hydrogen to heavy-duty transportation and energy storage.

Silver can also be helpful in smart devices, which detect energy overuse, water leaks, and other environmental concerns. As these tools gain adopters, they can turn small steps in decarbonization into giant leaps, cutting waste and improving air quality, for example.

But with those hopeful notes comes a cautionary one. Silver mining, of course, is just as intensive as other extraction methods. While mining essential metals may be much better for Earth than pulling out even more significant quantities of coal, oil, and gas, it's still not ideal.

Waste is a major concern in and around mining communities, too, and at least one company has proposed using cyanide to separate the last remnants of silver and gold from such waste. Silver mining also requires a great deal of water, so even if most of the demand for silver is to make a necessary overhaul to greener methods, there will be trade-offs.

The potential pitfalls do little to diminish silver's promise. With demand surging in the U.S., other countries won't be far behind. India and China, the world's most populous nations, are two of its biggest polluters. They're also signatories of the Paris Agreement, so their green transitions will likely include a silver surge.

Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn.

This story originally appeared on SD Bullion and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.