Technology Roadmaps and Industry Standards: A Path Towards Grid Parity
 By Bettina Weiss
Sr. Director, SEMI PV Group
Based upon the experiences of other industries, technology developments in cell efficiency and increases in manufacturing economies of scale will not be enough to reach grid parity goals as fast as the world desires. The solar PV industry needs to look at meaningful cost reduction through a global, robust and well-organized supply chain. The current learning curve for the industry is not as steep as other electronic industries, especially semiconductors which use many of the same processes, materials, and suppliers as PV. A faster learning curve for the solar PV industry could be accomplished through better industry collaboration, including industry standards and technology roadmaps.
A Moore's Law for PV?
The progress made by semiconductors in cost reduction is one of the technological marvels of our time. Since 1975, the cost of one transistor has been reduced by a factor of about 4,000,000. This achievement has often been ascribed to Moore's Law, the prediction that the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit would double approximately every two years. Learning curve cost reductions summarized by Moore's Law has led to the dramatic market expansion of chips into nearly every facet of modern life, and many observers see it as a useful guide to cost reduction in the PV industry.
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PV Standards Update: April 2010
 By James Amano
Director, International Standards, SEMI
There are now over 30 PV standardization efforts underway at SEMI. This may not seem like a lot when compared to the nearly 800 SEMI Standards for semiconductor manufacturing, but the formation of the first PV Standards Committee happened just a few years ago in 2007. In that short time, the global PV industry has recognized the need for standards to drive down manufacturing costs and increase supply chain efficiency, has selected the SEMI time-tested open platform to
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