10 Top Solar Panel Manufacturers Worldwide [Updated 2022]

It’s not surprising that top solar panel manufacturers are in the business of harvesting solar energy, as it is one of the best renewable energy sources on earth.

Solar energy is not only renewable but also unlimited, clean, and available everywhere around the globe.

The dominant and the largest market in the world, China, also is the most profitable market for solar energy and has cities in which solar energy is already cheaper than grid electricity.

Most of this electricity is produced by newer and modern solar panels that are both efficient and environmentally friendly.

There are always new metals and other materials that can more efficiently turn sunlight into DC electricity and, eventually, into the standard AC electricity most electronics use.

With these two facts in mind, all that is left to be asked is: Which companies are the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world, and which company produces the best solar panels?

Let’s check out or list.

1. JS Solar

Opening the list of the best solar panel manufacturers, we have a relatively new enterprise, JS Solar, founded in 2007.

The headquarters of JS Solar is located in the city of Wuxi, in the Jiangsu province,  South East China.

JS Solar offers services in the engineering and manufacturing side of the solar panel industry. Producing not only solar panels, but also the state of the art solar cells, which offer an excellent 22% solar cell efficiency rate, and the company is focused on improving the efficiency of electric generation.

The company offers a wide variety of panel options ranging from their Standard Series–a very adaptable, high output series with plenty of certifications to their smart series, which provides plenty of functionality options for the panels to be optimized to your individual needs.

For instance, their JS345-360M Solar Panel is a highly efficient system with up to an 18.7% efficiency rate and a power range of 345-360Wp.

It’s also highly durable with its frame, made with an aluminum alloy and resistance to ammonia and salt mists to make it sustainable even in farm and beach environments, respectively.

JS Solar products are sold worldwide, and the company currently has distributors in Chile, Mexico, and even the middle-east, which puts this company on the top of this list, as possibly the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world.

2. Trina Solar

The second company on our list of the biggest solar panel manufacturers, Trina Solar, is also a Chinese-based company founded in 1997, with headquarters in Changzhou, southern China.

Trina Solar focuses on smart energy solutions allowing for a more straightforward way to seamlessly access the operational data of solar panels from a distance using the most modern cloud infrastructure and with that solving many of the hardware integration and security problems associated with them.

In the repertoire of Trina Solar are panels such as the DUOMAX M PLUS, which is a highly effective PV Panel with 18.8% of efficiency, and a range of 280-310Wp in 60 Cell modules.

3. Jinko Solar

It’s impossible to make a list of the largest solar panel manufacturers without mentioning Jinko Solar, which is currently the most significant solar panel manufacturer in the world, having shipped 11.4GW worth of PV panels in 2018 alone.

The Chinese company, headquartered in Shanghai, started in 2006 and slowly grew to build its solar panel system and advance it.

Jinko Solar also has an incredible worldwide presence among other solar manufacturers.

Its sales teams are everywhere from Colombia, through Greece and Bulgaria, all the way to Japan, and with subsidiaries in the US, Germany, and Japan.

Among other countries, Jinko Solar is primarily the most profitable solar energy manufacturer and distributor in the world.

Their model focuses on the massive production of durable solar panel systems, like the Eagle 72, which has a power output of as much as 340Wp in a 72 polycrystalline cell module and glass texturing so that it has excellent performance even in low-light environments.

You could say that Jinko Solar is the modern photovoltaics equivalent to what Ford was to cars back in its day, a significant producer of good-quality products with a substantial presence in the market that won’t be easily surpassed.

4. Seraphim Energy Group

Perhaps the youngest company on the list of top solar panel manufacturers is another Chinese corporation.

Seraphim has been around making a name since it was branded as Seraphim Solar System Co. in 2011.

As a company, Seraphim focuses on the production of high-quality, highly resistant solar panel systems for plenty of applications.

They’re not limited to just residential or commercial uses, and their panels have consistently ranked first in the PHOTON Laboratory test for Performance Ratio.

The solar panel manufacturer has in stock many different types of panels, ranging from their standard ones to a new series of smart panels, which include services such as real-time monitoring and smart installation.

I would like to recommend from their list of innovative products the Eclipse Series of solar panels.

The solar panel efficiency of up to 18.8% in a relatively smaller size, can, in turn, make entire systems generate more power in the same space as other solar modules.

5. Must Solar

Another Chinese company, Must Solar was founded in the technological city of Shenzhen in 1998.

With its current headquarters in Hong Kong, Must Solar is a company dedicated to power inverters, solar panel systems, VRLA battery development, manufacturer, sales, and after-services.

Out of all the companies of solar panel manufacturers we list in the article, Must Solar is the one that offers the widest variety of products.

Apart from solar panel systems, the company is selling power inverters, solar batteries, monitoring products, and everything you will ever need to maintain or even boost the power of your panels.

Solar panels are mostly monocrystalline with an average efficiency of about 18.3%, the peak power of about 250 to 300Wp in 60 top 72 cells, respectively.

These specifications are on par with industry standards yet, the company offers many more things such as periphery, and other services.

Although a solar panel is an important component of harnessing solar energy, it is just a part of larger systems; this company offers more than enough.

6. Canadian Solar

Even though the market of solar energy has a majority of its share in China, some solar panel manufacturers on the American continent are willing to invest in a cleaner future.

Since its foundation in Ontario, Canada, in the year 2001, Canadian Solar has been one of the essential solar energy companies in the world.

More than just a manufacturer, Canadian Solar made a name by developing and constructing solar power plants all over the world, in countries like Japan, China, Brazil, India, and even Namibia.

Canadian Solar has plenty of high-performance solar panel models designed with a specific characteristic in mind.

For instance, Canadian Solar produces Ku Modules with up to 18.65% efficiency and 370Wp of maximum power.

We recommend HiKu manufactured by Canadian Solar for those who are looking to generate the highest amount of power possible, with up to 415Wp of maximum power, which is considerably more compared to any other solar module.

7. SunPower Corporation

The SunPower Corporation is the American representative on our list of the biggest solar panel manufacturers in the world.

Founded in 1985, in San Jose, California, SunPower is the oldest solar energy corporation on this list.

They’re the largest provider of solar energy and solar panel manufacturers in the United States.

Their main goal is to be as inclusive as possible, studying the specific needs of each client and making a plan that fits its size and budget, making the best solar panels for almost everyone.

The SunPower Corporation has panels in almost every field, from residences to business, from schools to agriculture, the American government and military even use their panels.

This wide range of expertise and experience over the decades has given this particular company an advantage.

This company is the manufacturer of the powerful A-Series Home Solar Panels, which was the first model of panels in the world to reach 400Wp power output with as much as 22.3% of solar panel efficiency.

But even their older panels have crazy numbers.

All of them reach at least 20% efficiency and more than 340Wp, except for the oldest P-Series ,although it still reaches a power output of 380 to 400Wp but with an average of 18% efficiency.

8. Suntech

We go back to China.

Suntech is an influential solar panel manufacturer, founded in 2001 in the city of Wuxi, China.

Apart from solar panel systems, the company was founded with a heavy emphasis on the research and development of new solar technology.

Suntech is one of the most widespread solar manufacturers that currently exists, having four main branches in Australia, Hong Kong, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, and plenty of business footprints all over the world.

It has manufacturing plants mostly in Asia where it has its most significant presence, followed by Europe, having one plant in Germany.

This company also has a wide variety of high-performing modules that have different sizes, which allows for a lot of versatility in implementation.

For example, the lightweight HiSpec series weighs just about 9.2 kilograms (or about 2.20 pounds), making the best solar panels for residential or overcharged rooftops.

You also have the Standard Module that offers a high 19.6% efficiency rate and weak light performance, perfect for commercial or industrial buildings.

9. Panasonic

Let’s not forget that before China took over the photovoltaic solar panel market, Japan was highly competitive and one of the largest solar panel manufacturers in the world.

In general, Asian corporations tend to be either hyper-specialized or incredibly massive in size and scope, and Japanese solar industry corporations are no exception.

Yes, Panasonic, the same company that manufactures electronics such as cameras, phones, and air conditioners, is up there in the green energy market.

While they do not offer a lot in the various field, the Panasonic Solar Panels are some of the most reliable systems out there.

If we look at the 330N HIT Series, we will notice their highly efficient 96-cell panels with a 19.7% module efficiency and a considerably lower temperature coefficient rating of -0.258% per degree Celsius, meaning that these panels produce energy on the warmest days.

To put that metric into perspective, all panels mentioned before average a -0.4% per degree Celsius.

This measure is essential because, unlike what many people may think, if the temperature rises too much, the energy that the panels produce will start to shrink.

So mainly, Panasonic has created some of the most reliable panels out there being just slightly affected by temperature, and that is a noteworthy feat.

10. Sharp Corporation

Last but not least on our list of the largest solar panel manufacturers is the Sharp Corporation, founded in 1912.

Sharp is another Japanese solar panel manufacturer and one of the best solar panels manufacturers and electronics corporations in the world.

Also, having started the development of solar cells in 1959, it is one of the oldest companies to invest in solar energy.

It may not be a name as recognizable as Panasonic or Samsung.

Still, the sheer magnitude of this company is jaw-dropping with electronics manufacturing centers in every continent and hundreds of other centers in Japan.

Sharp has Panels of every type, and whether they’re mono or polycrystalline, regular or high-power, they’re still at the vanguard of Panel manufacturing.

They just recently achieved the most considerable cell conversion efficiency of 44.4% per cell, and we’re sure to keep hearing from them.

Final Thoughts

As we have seen from our list of best solar panel manufacturers in the world and influential solar panel brands, there are many companies that develop and produce solar panels.

Each year, the business becomes more profitable.

A noticeable trend is that Chinese enterprises not only hold the largest market share, but they’re also by far the most specialized when it comes to solar energy, having more options for more people available at lower costs.

In truth, it seems like a matter of time before solar energy starts to replace regular grid energy, at least in this region of the world.

We’ll just keep hoping that they continue with their breakthroughs throughout the next decade.