Production of high-purity silicon for solar cells and electronics can be done through several routes. Although the trichlorosilane-based Siemens process is dominating the industry today there is reason to believe that monosilane-based processes and upgraded metallurgical silicon will take over in the long run. This paper will give a short description of the status on research and development on monosilane-based polysilicon production technologies. Furthermore we will summarize some of our experiences as an independent research facility for silicon production and demonstrate some results on how pilot reactor testing, on-line monitoring and process control improves silicon production technologies.