Solar panels, cells & wafers
Making the panels themselves. This step is dominated by Chinese makers and is currently in oversupply.
7 leading companies in solar panels, cells & wafers, one segment of solar energy — Panels, inverters, trackers, solar farms and rooftop installers. Solar is the largest single item in world energy investment.
new market segment · researched 2026-11-14
Solar panels, cells & wafersSolar invertersSolar trackers & balance of systemUtility-scale solar farms
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Leading solar panels, cells & wafers companies
7 companies, with the scale each source states. Scale is the whole company's unless the row says otherwise.
| Company | Where | What they do | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| LONGi Green Energy Technology 601012.SS ↗ | Xi'an, China since 2000 | World's largest maker of monocrystalline silicon wafers. Also makes cells and modules. | — |
| JinkoSolar JKS ↗ | Shanghai, China since 2006 | Vertically integrated maker of wafers, cells and modules. | revenue: 65.5 CNY billions (FY2025, Jinko Holdings 20-F; US$9.37bn convenience translation) (2025) ↗ |
| Trina Solar 688599.SS ↗ | Changzhou, China since 1997 | Modules, trackers and storage systems. | revenue: 11.272 USD billions (2024) ↗ |
| JA Solar 002459.SZ ↗ | Beijing, China since 2005 | Photovoltaic cells and modules. | — |
| Canadian Solar CSIQ ↗ | Kitchener, Canada since 2001 | Modules plus utility-scale project development and battery storage (Recurrent Energy, e-STORAGE). | revenue: 5.595 USD billions (FY2025, 20-F) (2025) ↗ |
| First Solar FSLR ↗ | Phoenix, United States since 1999 | Largest US-headquartered module maker. Makes thin-film (CdTe) modules in US and overseas plants. | revenue: 5.219 USD billions (FY2025, 10-K) (2025) ↗ |
| Qcells ↗ | Seoul, South Korea | Cells, modules, PV systems and large-scale solar plants. Has a major US manufacturing presence. | — |
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The solar energy market
The whole market this segment sits in.
investment · world450
↗USD billions (utility-scale + rooftop, expected 2025) · 2025
Quick answers
- What are solar panels, cells & wafers?
- Making the panels themselves. This step is dominated by Chinese makers and is currently in oversupply. They are one segment of the solar energy market.
- Who are the leading solar panels, cells & wafers companies?
- LONGi Green Energy Technology (China), JinkoSolar (China), Trina Solar (China), JA Solar (China), Canadian Solar (Canada), First Solar (United States), Qcells (South Korea).
- Which solar panels, cells & wafers companies are publicly traded?
- LONGi Green Energy Technology (601012.SS), JinkoSolar (JKS), Trina Solar (688599.SS), JA Solar (002459.SZ), Canadian Solar (CSIQ), First Solar (FSLR).
- Which Canadian companies are in solar panels, cells & wafers?
- Canadian Solar, Kitchener.
- How big is the solar energy market?
- For the whole solar energy market, not this segment alone: investment (world) 450 USD billions (utility-scale + rooftop, expected 2025), 2025 — IEA.