WThis is a list of notable photovoltaics (PV) companies. Grid-connected solar photovoltaics (PV) is the fastest growing energy technology in the world, growing from a cumulative installed capacity of 7.7 GW in 2007, to 320 GW in 2016. In 2016, 93% of the global PV cell manufacturing capacity utilizes crystalline silicon (cSi) technology, representing a commanding lead over rival forms of PV technology, such as cadmium telluride (CdTe), amorphous silicon (aSi), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS). In 2016, manufacturers in China and Taiwan met the majority of global PV module demand, accounting for 68% of all modules, followed by the rest of Asia at 14%. The United States and Canada manufactured 6%, and Europe manufactured a mere 4%.
WActiv Solar GmbH, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, was a developer of solar energy. It was engaged in the production of polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon) for the solar PV industry and the development of large-scale photovoltaic power stations in Ukraine. In February 2016, it filed for insolvency.
WAnwell Technologies Limited was a Hong Kong multinational manufacturing company. Founded in 2000, the company initially designed machines that mass-produced optical discs, but later began manufacturing thin-film solar cells and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as well. The company was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 2004, but delisted in 2019 as the company shut down its operations.
WBrightSource Energy, Inc. is an Oakland, California based, corporation that designs, builds, finances, and operates utility-scale solar power plants.
WDLO Energy Resources Group (PTY) LTD is an independent power producer headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa with primary operations in renewable energy, solar power and wind power. Established in 2011, the company currently oversees one of Africa’s largest wind farms located in the Northern Cape of South Africa; powering approximately 160,000 homes with carbon free solar power.
WFreetricity is a company that provides residential solar power systems under the feed-in tariffs in the United Kingdom. It was started by Ben Way and Paul Williams who met on The Secret Millionaire.
WOrb Energy is a solar energy company headquartered in Bangalore, India, founded by Damian Miller and NP Ramesh in 2006.
WPractical Solar, Inc. is an American manufacturer of heliostats used for concentrating solar power, as well as for residential and commercial natural lighting (daylighting) applications. The company, located in Boston, Massachusetts, introduced its heliostat system for sale in February 2009.
WRackam is a Canadian manufacturer and distributor of solar thermal collectors, and a specialist of industrial energy efficiency and heat transfer processes. The company uses solar heat to create saturated steam, high-temperature oil, and hot water; this is in turn used for industrial heating, drying, cooling and refrigeration.
WThe Renewable Energy Corporation (REC) is a solar power company with headquarters in Singapore. REC produces silicon materials for photovoltaics (PV) applications and multicrystalline wafers, as well as solar cells and modules. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance New Energy Solar.
WSanyo Electric Co., Ltd. , stylized as SANYO, is a Japanese electronics company and formerly a member of the Fortune Global 500 whose headquarters was located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo had over 230 subsidiaries and affiliates, and was founded by Toshio Iue in 1947.
WSchott AG is a German multinational glass company specializing in the manufacture of glass and glass-ceramics. Headquartered in Mainz, Germany, it is owned by the Carl Zeiss Foundation. The company's founder and namesake, Otto Schott, is credited with the invention of borosilicate glass.
WSolar Euromed is a high technology group based in France specialized in concentrated solar power technology, in activity from 2007 to 2016.
WSolarPACES is an international cooperative network bringing together teams of national experts from around the world to focus on the development and marketing of Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) systems.
WSolimpeks is a Turkish company dedicated to manufacture and market solar thermal and photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collectors worldwide. The company's broader product line is exported to 60 countries, with European Union countries comprising about 70% of sales.
WSpider9 Inc. is an American, environmental technologies company headquartered in Northville, MI which develops and manufactures advanced control systems for energy storage and solar fields. It was founded in 2011 by Glynne Townsend, Dave Park, Dave Smith, and Bill Beckman.
WSputnik Engineering AG was a Swiss company specializing in the development, production, distribution, and maintenance of grid-connected photovoltaic inverters. The headquarters of the company are located in Switzerland (Biel/Bienne). Sputnik Engineering has subsidiaries in Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Greece and China. The bankruptcy estate was bought up by the German photovoltaic group RenerVest and the SolarMax brand was rebuilt in Germany.
WThe Strawberry Tree is the world’s first public solar charger for mobile devices. It was developed by Serbian company Strawberry Energy. It won first place in the European Commission’s "Sustainable energy week 2011" competition in Brussels, in the category Consuming.
WSUNGEN International Limited is a subsidiary of Anwell Technologies Limited, with trading and manufacturing business in solar photovoltaics panels and modules. SUNGEN has a thin film solar module production facility in Henan, China using Anwell Solar’s manufacturing technologies. The facility will be used to produce 1.1 by 1.4 meter a-Si thin film photovoltaic modules, at an initial annual capacity of 40MW in 2010. In March 2010, the Group announced the mass production of thin film solar modules at SUNGEN’s manufacturing base in Henan of China using Anwell Solar’s thin film solar module production line.
WTorresol Energy is a company dedicated to developing renewable energy and alternative energies, focusing on concentrated solar energy. It is based in the city of Getxo in Biscay Province (Vizcaya), in the Basque Country of northern Spain.
WWiSolar is a transnational solar electricity company in Africa headquartered in South Africa, with presence in Nigeria. It is a residential and commercial solar electricity provider for variable loads.