The performance and technology of industrial silicon solar cells have improved considerably in recent years. Conversion efficiencies exceeding 18% are reproducibly obtained by cost-effective technologies on large area Cz-silicon. The performance of multicrystalline silicon cells is closing-in at 17.2%. Improved material casting techniques, a refined technology, and efficient in-process material improvement techniques are found to be the major causes behind such advancement. The trend towards thinner substrates leads to considerable material cost reduction while yielding better performance. The major processing technologies and steps are critically discussed in this article, keeping in mind the priorities of today＇s PV industry: cost, and environmental issues. The future trends of the technology are outlined.