Top Ten Global Photovoltaic Manufacturers

The bumper result masks the reality of 2009 being the most challenging year for PV suppliers in recent memory. “On one hand, you had severe oversupply and drastic price drops causing large losses, major layoffs, and consolidation all across the value chain.

On the other hand, it was yet another record-breaking year in manufacturing thanks to Germany’s late surge: whereas in January, top manufacturers were reportedly running at factory utilizations of less than 20%, October through December saw the same companies’ supplies being completely sold out.

To call it a volatile year would be an understatement,” said GTM Research Senior Analyst Shyam Mehta.

Fifty percent of the cells produced in 2009 came from China and Taiwan; this is a far cry from just five years ago, when European and Japanese firms combined to make up over three-fourths of the market.

Crystalline silicon still dominates the PV technology landscape, with a cell and panel production share of 81% and 78%, respectively. At the same time, thin film market share in 2009 continued to increase, from 15% of panels produced in 2008 to 22% in 2009, and for the first time ever, a thin-film producer (cadmium telluride-based First Solar) claimed the title as the largest cell/panel manufacturer.

The list of the top ten global cell and panel manufacturers is as follows:

Top Ten Global Cell Manufacturers

1. First Solar (U.S.)

2. Suntech Power (China)

3. Sharp (Japan)

4. Q-Cells (Germany)

5. Yingli Green Energy (China)

6. JA Solar (China)

7. Kyocera (Japan)

8. Trina Solar (China)

9. SunPower (U.S.)

10. Gintech (Taiwan)

Top Ten Global Panel Manufacturers

1. First Solar (U.S.)

2. Suntech Power (China)

3. Sharp (Japan)

4. Yingli Green Energy (China)

5. Kyocera (Japan)

6. Trina Solar (China)

7. SunPower (U.S.)

8. Canadian Solar (China)

9. Solarfun (China)

10. SolarWorld (Germany)

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