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Top 10 solar companies and manufacturers in 2022

When choosing a solar panel brand, there are a number of factors to consider, from efficiency, to temperature coefficient, to warranty. But a growing number of people also care about where their solar panels are manufactured, especially as supply chain constraints lead to installation delays. So, who are the top solar installation companies in the world and in the U.S.?

Who are the top 10 solar manufacturers?

  • LONGi Solar
  • Tongwei Solar
  • JA Solar
  • Aiko Solar
  • Trina Solar
  • JinkoSolar
  • Canadian Solar
  • Zhongli
  • SunTech
  • First Solar

There were some major changes over the past few years, including some new leaders in solar manufacturing who were once no names in the PV industry. JA Solar is grabbing market share with a passion while Q CELLS has slumped. The question for you as a solar shopper: should you care if your solar panels are made by one of the big 10 manufacturers in the world? Are American made solar panels truly the better product when the majority of manufacturers are located elsewhere? Here’s our breakdown of the best solar manufacturers around the globe.

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When expectations meet reality: new certification program helps companies follow through on diversity promises

As consumer expectations change, it’s on businesses to change with them. Many customers want to know that the companies they’re supporting are trying to make the world a more equitable place, and expectations around corporate social responsibility are higher than they’ve ever been. 

To be successful in this evolving marketplace, businesses need to meet customer demand for action with serious commitments. That means it’s time for companies to prioritize important issues such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) to create a more inclusive work environment, serve their communities and hire diverse talent.  

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Why smart car shoppers miss out on major savings

Humans have the capacity to think through problems carefully, but we’re also hardwired to make ‘intuitive’, automatic decisions. This is what psychology experts have labelled as system 1 and system 2 thinking. You may not be aware of it, but your intuition might prevent you from saving tens of thousands of dollars when you buy your next car.

As you perform complicated tasks such as driving or even simple tasks such as tying your shoes, you often rely on your intuition to automatically guide you through the process. Our intuition helps us simplify information and operate in modern society, but it can also lead us to make mistakes. Researchers have identified a long list of cognitive and emotional biases (think of them as mental shortcuts) that prevent people from making the best decisions. In this article, I’ll focus on how Present Bias and Loss Aversion Bias prevent car buyers from making the best financial decision when they choose between buying an electric or gas car.

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How 30 million solar homes can confront the climate crisis, address racial inequality in the energy sector, and get people back to work

From the street, Shiloh Temple in North Minneapolis looks like many other houses of worship across the country. But a birds-eye view of the church reveals the unique connection Shiloh has to the heavens – a connection that allows Shiloh to make an outsized impact on the lives of its congregants and other residents of this historically Black community.

Shiloh Temple has a rooftop solar array that generates enough electricity for the church to lower its energy bills – freeing up money for other critical community needs. The installation and maintenance of the panels also provide good-paying jobs for a diverse workforce. And because the church and its congregants actually own the system, it ensures that decisions about the energy Shiloh generates are retained in the community (it’s literally local power!) 

Now, a group of organizations, businesses, and local officials are engaged in a campaign to bring the benefits of local solar to millions of Americans. In a letter sent to Congress earlier this year, the group – which represents millions of Americans – is calling on Congress to embrace the goal of 30 million solar homes powered by solar in five years.   

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How your behind-the-meter solar system can lower electricity bills for your whole neighborhood

It’s well known that the behind-the-meter (BTM) solar on your rooftop can reduce the demand for grid-scale electricity: every megawatt-hour (MWh) produced from BTM solar is one fewer MWh that needs to come from the grid (often from a dirty coal or natural gas power plant). Lesser known, however, is the “price effect” of BTM solar. When BTM solar lowers the amount of electricity that expensive power plants need to produce, it also reduces the price that all utilities pay for that electricity. This means that BTM solar can both avoid the creation of dirty electricity, and lower the price that everyone in a region ultimately pays for electricity.  As a result, when you install BTM solar, it benefits you and your neighbors.

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How can the clean energy industry support low-income households in going solar?

Although there is growing interest in policies and programs to ensure that the benefits of solar power are equitably reaching households of all income levels, lower income households are still less likely to go solar. 

Some of the causes for this are well-documented and unsurprising.  Income is unequally distributed among households, low and moderate income (LMI) households have less cash, are less able to finance installations, are less likely to own their home, and are less aware of the opportunity.

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The State of California Solar Policy

The California solar market is facing one of its biggest periods of upheaval ever and the next few months will set the fate of the industry for the next decade as the state decides the future of “net metering”. The stakes could not be higher for this 75,000 worker, $4 billion industry so let’s take a deeper dive into the forces bombarding the industry, the trials ahead, and how the industry can defend itself to make it through this challenging time.

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Types of thin-film solar panels

Have you ever come across “flexible solar panels,” or “stick-on solar panels”? Both fit under the wider umbrella of thin-film solar panels, which is a type of solar panel technology known for being lightweight. Compared to traditional solar panel cells, thin-film solar panels are made up of electricity-producing layers that are hundreds of times thinner than typical silicon cells. 

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Should you cut down trees to go solar?

When we talk about the environmental benefits of solar power, we often compare the overall carbon offset of a solar panel system to the environmental impact of planting trees. Ironically, maximizing the benefits of solar power may mean cutting down a tree or two prior to installation.  It’s a difficult truth, but unfortunately, solar power and trees don’t really get along. Branches and leaves can block sunlight from hitting your roof, which means your solar panels aren’t generating as much clean electricity as they could otherwise be in a sunny area.

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