Solar cells with radial junctions based on silicon nanowires were investigated using correlative microscopy in order to determine the nature and origin of previously reported inhomogeneity of their electronic properties. For correlating various microscopy techniques, we have prepared sets of three Vickers type nanoindents arranged in a right triangle with 20 mu m sides as marks of local frame of reference. Due to the shape of the indents (squares with 4 mu m sides and clear diagonals) the position of the marks can be located with high precision by various microscopes. This makes it possible to correlate the results from scanning electron microscopy, Kelvin probe force microscopy and conductive atomic force microscopy techniques on the same place of the sample, with a precision down to individual nanowires, obtaining new information about the electronic inhomogeneity. Using the conductive AFM we analyzed the growth process of silicon nanowires step by step in order to find possible origins of the local (photo) current variations. (C) 2015 The Japan Society of Applied Physics