Top 10: Solar Energy Companies
Solar energy has been used for centuries, initially for lighting fires and heating.
In 1883, the creation of the first solar cell was the beginning of this new energy industry, but the silicon photovoltaic (PV) cell was not created until 1954.
Energy crises pushed solar development forwards and by the 2000s global solar PV installations passed 1 GW.
Solar energy is now a major contributor to electricity generation and is set to continue growing.
Energy Digital has ranked 10 of the top solar energy companies.
10. Canadian Solar
CEO: Shawn Qu
Founded: 2001
Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
Shipped capacity: 157 GW
Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar produces solar PV modules, inverters and battery energy storage systems alongside developing, owning and operating solar and energy storage projects through its subsidiary Recurrent Energy.
On the announcement of its 2024 results, Shawn Qu, Chairman and CEO at Canadian Solar, said: "2024 was a challenging year for the solar industry, with intense competition and ongoing policy and trade-related uncertainties creating operational and financial headwinds.
âDespite these industry-wide pressures, our modules business executed targeted strategic adjustments, enabling us to maintain relatively stronger profitability compared to the broader market.â
Super Bowl LVIII in 2024 was powered entirely by renewable energy from the EDF Arrow Canyon solar project that uses panels supplied by Canadian Solar.
9. First Solar
CEO: Mark Widmar
Founded: 1999
Headquarters: Arizona, US
Shipped capacity: ~80 GW
First Solar is a leading American manufacturer of solar panels and provider of utility-scale PV power plants.
It was the first solar company to reduce manufacturing costs to US$1 per watt in 2009, demonstrating the potential cost competitiveness of solar energy.
It specialises in creating thin-film solar modules using cadmium telluride as a semiconductor.
On the announcement of its 2024 results, Mark Widmar, CEO at First Solar, said: âEven as we maintained a highly selective approach to bookings, we expanded manufacturing capacity by commissioning our Alabama facility and progressed construction of our new Louisiana facility, established the infrastructure we anticipate will accelerate innovation with a new R&D centre in Ohio and produced and shipped a historic volume of modules.â
8. Sungrow
CEO: Cao Renxian
Founded: 1997
Headquarters: Hefei, China
Inverters deployed: 405 GW
Sungrow specialises in renewable energy technology, including solar PV inverters and energy storage systems.
Its portfolio of products are installed in more than 180 countries.
Sungrow supports one of the worldâs northernmost solar power plants in Lapland with its SG350HX inverters.
âAs solar energy expands into new frontiers, we are proud to support our partners with technology that performs reliably â no matter the conditions,â says Henry Särkisilta, Key Account Manager at Sungrow Finland.
7. Tesla
CEO: Elon Musk
Founded: 2003
Headquarters: Texas, US
Solar deployed: ~4 GW
Alongside manufacturing electric vehicles, Tesla develops, manufactures, sells and installs PV solar energy systems and related services.
It entered the solar market in 2016 with its acquisition of SolarCity for US$2.6bn, aiming to create a vertically integrated sustainable energy company.
In 2024, Intersect Power announced a 15.3 GWh storage contract with Tesla for its solar and storage project portfolio.
âIntersect continues to be an exceptional partner and their development expertise combined with the plug-and-play nature of Teslaâs vertically integrated technology enables the speed and scale needed to enhance grid resilience and support greater renewables integration,â said Mike Snyder, VP, Energy and Charging at Tesla.
6. Trina Solar
Chairman and General Manager: Jifan Gao
Founded: 1997
Headquarters: Changzhou, China
Shipped capacity: 170 GW
Trina Solar specialises in the research, development, production and sales of PV modules, PV systems and smart energy solutions.
It operates in more than 150 countries and regions, with manufacturing bases in China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and the UAE.
It has shipped more than 120 GW of solar modules worldwide and connected more than 9.5 GW of solar power plants to the grid.
Trina Solar has set or broken more than 25 world records in PV cell conversion efficiency and module output power.
5. Tongwei Company
CEO: Liu Shuqi
Founded: 1995
Headquarters: Chengdu, China
Shipped capacity: 120 GW
Alongside its role in agriculture and livestock feed, Tongwei is one of the worldâs largest producers of high-purity polysilicon and solar cells.
It entered the PV industry in 2006 and acquired a factory producing polyvinyl chloride in 2007.
In March 2025, Tongwei announced that its THC-G12 Heterojunction module achieved a maximum power output of 790.8 W with full-area efficiency of 25.46%, a new record for crystalline silicone module efficiency in third-party testing.
Tongwei Solar said: âThe Tongwei Solar R&D team, driven by a spirit of dedication and innovation, achieved this breakthrough in just one month after setting the previous record of 783.2W on February 21.â
4. JA Solar
CEO: Jin Baofang
Founded: 2005
Headquarters: Beijing, China
Shipped capacity: 153 GW
Founded in 2005, JA Solar has grown to become one of the top solar panel producers with a presence across residential, commercial and utility-scale solar energy markets.
The company produces its own silicon wafers, cells, modules and related materials.
JA Solarâs products are sold in 178 countries and regions and its cumulative shipments of cells and modules have exceeded 280 GW.
The company has celebrated its 20th anniversary and aims to continue helping to shape the future of energy.
Aiqing Yang, Executive President of JA Solar, said: âAs we look ahead, we reaffirm our commitment to driving innovation, advancing green development and delivering long-term value to our global partners.â
3. JinkoSolar
CEO: Xiande Li
Founded: 2006
Headquarters: Shanghai, China
Delivered capacity: 320 GW
JinkoSolar holds more than 3,000 authorised patents, including 367 related to advanced N-type TOPCon technology.
The company has delivered more than 320 GW of modules and owns more than 10 globalised manufacturing bases in China, the US, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
It says its mission is âoptimising the energy portfolio and taking responsibility for enabling a sustainable futureâ.
On the announcement of its 2024 results, Xiande Li, JinkoSolar's Chairman and CEO, said: "We delivered more resilient operating results in the challenging year of 2024, thanks to our leading position in N-type TOPCon technology and patent portfolio, competitive products as well as global sales and manufacturing networks.
âWe are committed to maintaining technology leadership through continuous R&D investments and mass production of innovative products.
âBy the end of the fourth quarter, the average mass-produced N-type cell efficiency reached nearly 26.5% and the efficiency on the highest-performing production lines, the golden area reached over 26.7%.â
2. LONGi
Chairman: Baoshen Zhong
Founded: 2000
Headquarters: Xi'an, China
Shipped capacity: 130 GW
LONGi is the worldâs largest manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon wafers and a major producer of solar modules.
It operates manufacturing bases in China, Malaysia and Vietnam and has branches in more than 150 countries and regions.
In 2025 it launched a project to establish a âstate-of-the-artâ panel manufacturing facility in Indonesia.
Dennis She, Vice President of LONGi, said: âIndonesia holds immense potential in renewable energy, and LONGi is proud to contribute our world-leading solar technology to this transformative journey.
âThis facility represents not just an investment in manufacturing but a long-term partnership to accelerate Indonesiaâs clean energy future.â
The company says that one in every four solar modules worldwide are produced by LONGi and in 2020 it became the first manufacturer to ship more than 20 GW of modules in a single year.
By 2028, LONGi aims to use 100% clean energy to power its solar development.
1. NextEra Energy
CEO: John Ketchum
Founded: 1925
Headquarters: Florida, US
Solar capacity: 12 GW operational
NextEra’s renewables portfolio totals around 29 GW and has a project pipeline of close to 250 GW.
Its subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources (NEER) is the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from wind and solar.
Florida Power & Light (FPL), another of NextEra’s subsidiaries, planned US$10bn in new solar generation between 2022 and 2025.
In the first quarter of 2025, FPL placed 894 MW of new solar into service, putting its total owned and operated portfolio at more than 7.9 GW.
This, the company says, is the largest utility-owned solar portfolio in the United States and it expects to increase FPL’s solar from 9% of its total generation in 2024 to around 35% in 2034.
Its Farmington Solar Energy Centre in New England is on pace to deliver enough electricity to the grid to power every home in Portland and Lewiston, Maine’s two biggest cities, for an entire year.
“Generating enough electricity to power every home in Maine’s two biggest cities will be a proud accomplishment for us – the Farmington Solar Energy Centre has been a great success,” said Brian Bolster, President and CEO of NextEra Energy Resources.
“Every day, Mainers benefit from reliable, low-cost solar energy produced right here at home by NextEra Energy Resources – and the local community gains an important source of revenue – it’s a win/win for everyone.”
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