A ray of innovation: in this dialogue, Marie Eckstein, vice president and general manager of Advanced Technologies and Ventures, Dow Corning Corporation and Murray Cameron, vice-president of the European Photovoltaics Industry Association (EPIA) and chief operating officer at Phonix SonnenStrom AG, discuss advancements in solar energy technologies.(dialogue with Marie Eckstein)(Interview)

What factors have made solar energy more economically viable?

ME: Fundamentally, the solar industry as a whole has advanced and grown to the point where solar solutions are not only an environmentally friendly option, but also a cost effective one. Obviously, the increasing cost of traditional energy sources has contributed, but the solar industry is quickly evolving into an economically attractive energy source. The cost to produce one watt of solar power decreases 20 percent every time the solar industry capacity doubles and at current growth rates, capacity doubles every few years. To continue this growth, it's important to assure a reliable supply of solar's most important raw material polycrystalline silicon. Dow Corning has a leading role in this effort, through our joint venture, Hemlock Semiconductor, the world's leading producer of polycrystalline silicon and our own photovoltaic industry expertise.

MC: Crucial to the dramatic growth of the global solar electricity sector over the past few years has …