By Dan Martin, Executive Vice President

In December, SEMI announced that Zhengrong Shi, Ph.D., founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Suntech Power, and Gerhard Rauter, chief operating officer and member of the Executive Board of Q-Cells, have agreed to join our international board of directors. This was a historic milestone for the industry and underscores the importance of PV manufacturing to SEMI members.

The addition of Gerhard Rauter and Zhengrong Shi represents the first appointment of PV solar manufacturers to the SEMI board, and the first appointment of a SEMI Board member from China. Joining Professor Eicke R. Weber, Director, Fraunhofer-Institute for Solar Energy Systems on the board, these additions enhance the breadth and depth of the SEMI leadership expertise dedicated to global PV manufacturing and technology issues. SEMI is currently celebrating its 40^th year of operation.

The new board member additions will strengthen the core PV Group agenda consisting of industry standards, technology roadmaps, open markets, sustainability, and industry advocacy. These activities require global perspectives and solutions and are essential to achieving long-term industry cost reduction goals and accelerating the path to grid parity. Industry standards need to be global to benefit world-class suppliers and customers from all parts of the world; technology targets, milestones and roadmaps are most effective when they focus scarce R&D dollars from around the globe on the critical performance issues common to leading PV technology segments; the PV supply chain needs to practice sustainable excellence, without regard to the location of plants, fabs and factories; and public policy and industry advocacy need to rely upon global best practices that assure open, healthy markets to be most effective. Increasingly, the critical supply chain issues that accelerate the drive towards grid parity are global issues, not regional ones, where participation and collaboration is necessary from constituencies based in China, Europe, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, and other locations.

These board additions will also supplement and reinforce the strong Regional Advisory Board system that has been put in place around the world. Over 75% of the leading cell and module manufacturers in the world, and every large equipment and materials supplier, currently serve on a PV Group Regional Advisory Board to provide advice and guidance on association activities and priorities. Many of these Regional Advisory Boards have become strong and effective voices in their regions for effective public policies to support PV power adoption and are a critical component of global policy development.

Regional solar energy associations such as EPIA, JPEA and SEIA remain the preeminent representatives of the solar industry in their respective markets. They provide essential public policy and other services to companies in the local marketplace. But in today’s flat world, global collaboration is required to accelerate technology progress and cost reduction, or address common industry issues such as sustainability. Perhaps no place is this more important than in PV where every fab that is built, every cell that is manufactured, and every panel that is installed goes to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel. Solar energy producers need to draw upon a global technology base, a global supplier network, and a global workforce that understands how to work together effectively.

The addition of Gerhard Rauter and Zhengrong Shi will make the SEMI PV Group a stronger, more representative organization to achieve the critical milestones in the world’s adoption of solar energy. In combination with our Regional Advisory Boards, they will give us the insight and expertise necessary to best serve our member interests and advance solar energy adoption throughout the world.