Top 5 U.S. Solar Panel Manufacturers in 2023

Until recently, the majority of photovoltaic solar panels sold in the United States weren’t actually made here. However, events of the past several years have resulted in the expansion of some U.S.-based manufacturers and the building of new U.S. facilities by large Asian solar companies.

Steep tariffs on foreign-made solar materials imposed in 2012 and 2018 (and extended in 2022) kept inexpensive Chinese solar panels on a roughly even playing field with American products. Now, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has turbo-charged the U.S. solar manufacturing sector. Several gigawatts of new solar production capacity will be built in the country over the next several years.

By volume, the current top 5 solar panel manufacturers in the United States are:

1. First Solar
2. Qcells
3. Silfab
4. Jinko Solar
5. Mission Solar

American-made solar panels may not always come from American companies, but they are built by American workers. Here’s more information about five of the biggest, best companies that make solar panels in the USA.

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Key takeaways

• The top five solar panel manufacturers in the U.S. are First Solar, Qcells, Silfab, Jinko Solar, and Mission Solar.
• These companies produce high-performance solar panels for residential, commercial, and utility-scale installations.
• Several other companies are planning to build large solar manufacturing plants in the United States in the coming years.
• Other companies, such as Maxeon and Canadian Solar, manufacture some products just north or south of the U.S. border.

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Top 5 solar panel manufacturers

Company USA location(s) Current USA manufacturing capacity Top-performing solar panel First Solar Ohio, Alabama 2.4 GW Series 7 TR1 Qcells Georgia 1.7 GW Q. PEAK DUO BLK ML-G10+ Silfab Solar Washington 800 MW Elite SIL-380 Jinko Solar Florida 400 MW EAGLE 72HM G5b Mission Solar Texas 300 MW MSE PERC 66

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1. First Solar

Currently the largest manufacturer of solar modules in the United States, First Solar mostly makes CdTe thin-film products aimed at the utility-scale sector. FirstSolar is famous for its commitment to recycling its old products and for booking orders of well over ten times its annual production capacity.

First Solar is working on expanding its already large facilities in Ohio and is also building a new plant in Alabama. The company also said it plans to work with SunPower on a new tandem solar panel for homes that could reach the market by 2024. The “tandem”, in this case, refers to a layer of specially-tuned CdTe thin film placed on top of traditional crystalline silicon solar cells.

2. Qcells

Qcells (formerly Hanwha Q CELLS), which was founded in 1999, is a subsidiary of South Korea-based Hanwha Solutions with a regional headquarters office in Irvine, California. It currently supplies more residential solar panels in the U.S. than any other company.

The Tier 1 company currently operates a 1.7 gigawatt (GW) solar panel manufacturing plant in Dalton, Georgia, that began production in February 2019. In 2022 and 2023, the company announced an investment of $2.5 billion in plans to expand its solar business in a multitude of ways. The end goal of that expansion is to create a fully domestic solar supply chain, from raw poly-silicon production to the manufacturing of solar silicon wafers, solar cells, and finally, modules.

Based on the quality and value of its high-performance mono PERC solar panels and its commitment to the U.S. market, Qcells leads the SolarReviews rankings of the top 10 solar panel manufacturers for the residential market.

3. Silfab Solar

Silfab Solar is a privately-held solar company based in Ontario, but the company actually has more employees in the United States. In the U.S., the company manufactures solar panels at two facilities in Washington with a combined manufacturing capacity of 800 megawatts (MW).

In 2023, Silfab introduced its latest Elite series solar panel, which uses an innovative conductive backsheet to channel power from the solar cells, rather than wire busbars that can reduce power output. The company also announced plans to begin manufacturing its own solar cells in a new facility it plans to build in South Carolina.

4. Jinko Solar

In response to 2018 tariffs filed under President Trump, Shanghai-based Jinko Solar opened a 400-MW solar panel manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2019. The Florida plant is important to serve the U.S. market but represents a small portion of the company’s 70+ GW worldwide manufacturing capacity.

Jinko has yet to announce plans to expand its manufacturing base in the United States. Still, the company may be inspired to do so in the near future, as its Chinese rival LONGi has announced plans to build a 5 GW solar module factory in Ohio.

5. Mission Solar

Mission Solar has been manufacturing solar panels in San Antonio, Texas, since 2014. A subsidiary of a Korean company called OCI, Mission now assembles 300 MW of solar panels each year. By its 10-year anniversary in 2024, it plans to have expanded to 1 GW of annual manufacturing capacity in Texas.

Mission’s current products utilize p-type monocrystalline PERC solar cells. These products offer acceptable performance and are certified to standard regulations for reliability. Still, they don’t rise to the levels of efficiency seen among their competitors' products, and the company hasn't yet adopted newer technologies like half-cut solar cells and cell shingling that offer increased efficiency in the same area.

Latest solar panel manufacturing trends

In August 2022, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which introduced the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC) and expanded the Section 48C Advanced Energy Project Investment Tax Credit (48C ITC). These programs provide economic incentives to manufacture solar materials in the United States.

The 45X MPTC provides tax credits to manufacturers that make clean energy components like solar panels, and the 48C ITC provides tax credits for the purchase and commissioning of property that will be used for manufacturing. Manufacturers of solar components can choose to receive tax credits under one—but not both—of these programs.

In addition to the manufacturing tax credits, the IRA included a 10% bonus investment tax credit under section 48D for installations that use “domestic content.” This provides additional demand from solar installers for products made by U.S. companies.

Since the passage of the ITC, several solar companies have announced plans to expand or build new facilities in the United States. In addition to the announcements from First Solar, Qcells, LONGi, and Silfab covered in the sections above, companies like REC Silicon, JA Solar, and Hounen have also announced major U.S. manufacturing facilities.

Final thoughts

Due to the IRA and some forward-thinking companies, the future of American solar manufacturing is bright.

As homeowners shop for solar, they are nearly as likely to be offered American-made panels than products from anywhere else. Soon, so many solar panels will be made in the U.S. that it may become uncommon to see imported products on the market.

Find out how much local installers are charging for top American-made solar panels

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✔ Tongwei Solar is the largest solar panel manufacturer

✔ The second-largest manufacturer is JA Solar

✔ Six of the top seven largest solar panel manufacturers are Chinese companies

The price of solar panels might be going down, but the shipments and revenues of the largest solar panel manufacturers certainly aren’t.

So, who are these solar power giants? We’ll tell you who the top seven solar panel manufacturers are based on the amount of shipments they send out, and give you a few details about each one.

The world’s largest solar panel manufacturers

Most of the world’s largest solar panel manufacturers are based in China, with six out of the top seven manufacturers being Chinese companies.

Rank

Company

Headquarters

2022 shipment capacity in gigawatts (GW)

1

Tongwei Solar

China

38.1

2

JA Solar

China

36.2

3

Aiko Solar

China

30.7

4

LONGi Solar

China

29.2

5

Jinko Solar

China

23.9

6

Canadian Solar

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Canada

16.8

7

Trina Solar

China

14.5

Data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s 2023 Spring Report

Our rankings are based on the solar panel manufacturers' number of shipments in 2022, since this is an indicator of the real world impact the companies have.

We’ll go over who the top manufacturers are, and give you a few details about them in the sections below.

1. Tongwei Solar – China

Tongwei Solar is the world’s largest solar panel manufacturer; it shipped 38.2 GW of solar cells and solar panels in 2022. That’s the equivalent of over 100,000 typical 350 watt (W) solar panels.

On top of that, Tongwei Solar has an annual solar cell production capacity of 70 GW, and an annual solar panel production capacity of 14 GW.

The China-based company has over 40,000 employees and an average revenue of around 156 billion CNY (£17 billion), according to The Financial Times.

Tongwei exports its products to multiple countries, including the UK, Germany, France, the US, and Australia.

2. JA Solar – China

JA Solar is the second-largest solar manufacturer, based on shipments. In 2022, it shipped out 36.2 GW worth of solar cells and panels.

The Chinese company has over 32,000 employees, and has produced solar cells that have an efficiency of 25% (the average is 20%).

JA Solar stated that its annual sales revenue was 72.9 billion CNY (£8.04 billion) in 2022, a figure that’s likely to increase. Its revenue for the first half of 2023 has already grown by 43.5% compared to 2022, and is expected to rise further.

The company ships its products to over 135 countries, including the UK.

3. Aiko Solar – China

Aiko Solar is the third-largest solar manufacturer, shipping 30.7 GW of solar panels and cells in 2022. Since its founding in 2022, it's exported over 100 GW of solar products.

The Shanghai-based company has over 9,140 employees and a revenue of 35.34 billion CNY (£3.88 billion).

Apart from solar cells and solar panels, the company also makes solar inverters, solar storage batteries, and mounting systems.

Aiko Solar also became a member of the United Nations Global Compact initiative in 2023, which is the world’s largest corporate sustainability scheme. Its members promote values centred around human rights and the environment.

4. LONGi Solar – China

LONGi Solar, another Chinese company, is the fourth-largest solar manufacturer.

The company has a revenue of around 128 billion CNY (£14 billion), which is the second highest revenue on this list.

However, LONGi loses out on the top spot since it shipped out less solar panels and cells over the course of 2022 than the top companies on this list, though it still managed to reach an impressive 29.2 GW.

On top of manufacturing solar equipment, LONGi is also developing equipment to produce green hydrogen, founding LONGi Hydrogen in 2021.

LONGi exports its products to 150 countries, and it also has production facilities in four nations, including its native China.

5. Jinko Solar – China

Jinko Solar is the fifth-largest solar manufacturer, shipping out 23.9 GW worth of solar panels and cells in 2022. Cumulatively, the company has shipped 165 GW.

In 2022, Jinko Solar made 83.53 billion CNY (£9.18 billion) in revenue, an increase of 105% compared to the previous year.

It has over 14 factories, including a manufacturing base in the US, and ships products to more than 160 countries.

Jinko Solar’s solar panels are available for domestic use, and have also been used in solar farms, including the world’s largest hybrid solar-hydro plant located in Yajiang county, in Eastern Tibet.

6. Canadian Solar – Canada

Canadian Solar is the sixth-largest solar manufacturer on our list, and the only one based in Canada (as you might have guessed) instead of China.

In 2022, Canadian Solar shipped 16.8 GW of solar cells and panels, reaching 23 countries across six continents.

The Canadian company has 20,000 employees, and its 2022 revenue was $7.47 billion CAD (£4.42 billion).

As well as developing solar cells and solar panels, Canadian Solar also manufactures solar storage batteries for residential and commercial use.

7. Trina Solar – China

Trina Solar is the seventh-largest solar manufacturer in terms of shipments. In 2022, it shipped the equivalent of 14.5 GW.

Its annual revenue is around 98.7 billion CNY (£10.87 billion), and it has over 23,000 employees.

Trina Solar doesn't just make solar panels, they also make solar trackers (which move solar panels so they follow the sun), and solar storage batteries.

The company also specialises in developing smart solar technology, such as ‘smart micro-grids’, which are electric grids that automatically adjust electricity generation and distribution based on consumers’ usage.

Summary

Most of the largest solar panel manufacturers are based in China, and the country currently supplies 80% of the world’s solar panels, according to the International Energy Agency.

China is also winning the solar power race in terms of capacity; it has over three times the capacity of the other top three countries combined, based on the latest numbers from Our World in Data.

This could mean that countries and regions such as the UK, the US, and the European Union, who want to increase their use of solar power, might need to take a leaf out of China’s book and start manufacturing more solar panels domestically.

If you want more facts and stats about the state of solar power, check out our page on solar panels statistics.

FAQs

The largest solar farm is Golmud Solar Park in China. Situated in the north-western Qinghai province, the solar farm has more than seven million solar panels, which have a combined capacity of 2.8 GW.

Project Solar is the biggest solar panel supplier in the UK, and is also one of the best solar panel installers . It’s been in business since 2011, and has completed over 45,000 solar panel installations nationwide.

There are a few solar panel manufacturers in the UK, including GB-Sol, Viridian Solar, and UKSOL. Not all of them manufacture all their solar panel parts in the UK, but all their panels are designed and assembled in the UK.

There are also a few companies that make non-traditional types of solar panels. Polysolar, for example, is a UK-based company that manufactures transparent solar panels. AES Solar makes solar thermal panels in the UK.