Andreas Widl, CEO, Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum, Cologne, Germany

Clean technologies and specifically photovoltaics remain a bright and promising spot on the economic horizon, despite the spreading global economic downturn in financial and industrial markets. In 2009 and beyond, solar-module fabs will compete for quick ramp up and maximum efficiency and yield — just as semiconductor fabs began to do in the 1980s. The solar industry will benefit strongly from the lessons learned and achievements of the semiconductor sector.

The solar industry will gain more prominence as it progresses toward grid parity by 2010. This breakthrough has the potential to change the world for the better, including slowing climate change and introducing new, clean-tech solutions that create thousands of jobs around the world and bringing more affordable energy to millions of people.

Low maintenance costs, efficient materials handling, and equipment reliability are proven ways of making advanced factories work even more effectively and achieving maximum uptime. Just as the semiconductor supply chain has evolved to continuously improve these capabilities, suppliers of the solar industry must do the same.

Leading companies in the solar industry supply chain recognize the opportunities ahead. We look forward to serving these new markets with future innovations that meet increasingly challenging requirements by understanding and improving their critical production processes.