Consider this list of big solar panel manufacturers

While the biggest solar panel manufacturers in the world may not necessarily be the best, its still worth considering the list of the largest players in the solar power field worldwide.  We found this information on Solar Feeds, from Green World Investor.

Before you invest in solar panels, do some of your own research and compare costs to quality, and also consider government incentives and rebates.

Motech – The company which used to be a pure play cell producer has expanded into polysilicon,modules and wafers.  It is one of the oldest solar cell companies in Taiwan and faced tough times in 2008 post the GFC.TSMC owns a stake in this company.  The company bought a solar module facility in the US and is starting polysilicon production at its subsidiary AES Polysilicon.

Suntech – Suntech was  the world’s biggest producer of solar panels in 2010 and was one the first companies to set up operations in China.Its example was followed by a host of other Chinese companies.Suntech has been slow to expand compared to the fast growing small companies in China and has lost marketshare to them.  It has started to vertically integrate in order to meet the low cost challenge from Trina and Yingli.Suntech makes one of the best quality Solar Panels in China.

Yingli Green Energy - Yingli Green Energy is one of the oldest Chinese companies and is completely integrated from polysilicon.The company has been expanding rapidly and has one of the lowest cost structures in the industry.  Yingli Green Energy has been sponsoring Football in Europe and has started a new line of high efficiency “Panda” Solar Panels.  Yingli is the second biggest producer of Solar Panels in China.

Trina Solar – Trina Solar is one of the lowest cost manufacturers of Solar Panels in the World right now and also sells it at a very low price.  This is the reason that the company in a span of few short years has managed to acquire a substantial  global marketshare.  The prices the solar panels being sold are around $340 per 200 watt module.Trina Solar.Like Yingli and Suntech,Trina Solar Panels are one the best quality in China.

Hanwha Solar One - The Company which was recently acquired by South Korean Chemicals Giant Hanwha also makes one of the cheapest panels and sells it a very low price.  The quality is also quite good and with strong parentage behind it, the solar panels made by the company.  Again like Trina Solar, it has very low cost Chinese manufacturing capacity. The company was earlier known as Solarfun.

Canadian Solar – The Company sells a wide variety of solar panels unlike other producers.The Solar Panel Selling Price is also quite cheap.   The Company is headquartered in Canada with factories in China and Ontario.  Canadian Solar is the 5th biggest producer of Solar Panels in China.

Jinko Solar – Jinko Solar has shown the fastest growth rates in the Chinese Solar Panel Industry.  The company is expanding again to become one of the Top 5 Solar Panel Producers in China.  Jinko Solar like Trina and Yingli is vertically integrated and has one of the lowest cost solar panel production process.

Solarworld - Solarworld is the Biggest German producer of solar panels, the company is one of the few to still have operations in Europe and USA.  The company has been battered by low cost competition. However Solarworld is strongly expanding in USA as growth slows down in Germany.  Solarworld is also entering the polysilicon sector through a JV with Qatar.Only Western company not to have a major factory in Asia.

First Solar – First Solar is the only Solar Thin Film Manufacturer in the world and a benchmark for other thin film companies thinking of making it big.  The company was promoted by Wal-Mart promoters and has seen remarkable growth in the last few.This US based company uses Cadmium Tellurium (Cd-Te) Technology and  is the lowest cost panel producer in the world today if you don’t include any penalty for low efficiency.  Even if you penalize the Cd-Te Technology for its lower efficiency vis-a-vis the higher efficiency crystalline technology, First Solar is clearly the leader with a core cost of 74c/watt.  The company has a roadmap of  reducing the cost to 52c/watt by 2014 and given its track record it seems quite achievable.  There is little doubt about First Solar’s ability to survive and flourish due to its massive first mover advantage.

Sharp – Sharp,the Japanese Zaibatsu known more for its Electronics Products is also the world’s No 1 Company in terms of Solar Module Revenues. Despite its leadership in c-Si Technology,i t has shifted focus to a-Si thin film due to higher costs.  Sharp has started shipping a-Si modules from its 1 GW capacity plant in Sakai. With its established distribution strengths and technological abilities in LCD Technology, Sharp is one company that can survive the c-Si onslaught.With most of the a-Si thin film competitors bankrupt or in a moribund state,Sharp can capitalize to completely capture this space.  However the cost structure of Sharp is not clearly known right now to make a clear call on how this will turn out. Also a 10% efficiency while decent for a-Si technology fall far short of the 13% claims by CIGS start-ups like Miasole.

Sunpower - Sunpower produces the highest efficiency crystalline solar panels in the world.  This is a US company like First Solar and has a strong system installation business as well.  An offspring of Cypress Semiconductor,it faced tough times due to its higher costs.  However, it seems to be on a recovery path.  Failed to expand as rapidly as the Asians in 2010.

Renewable Energy Corporation – It is Norwegian manufacturer of mainly polysilicon and wafers.It suffered like other Europeans from the declines in solar panel prices.Has moved manufacturing to Singapore to lower its cost.Fell down the rankings due to tough competition.However is completely integrated.

Panasonic/Sanyo – Sanyo is the producer of high efficiency solar panels and like Sharp sells mostly in Japan and USA.  With buyout by Panasonic is looking to sell integrated energy  efficiency/energy storage/solar energy home solution.

Look for even lower solar panel prices in 2011

Just when you thought the news about solar power couldn’t get any brighter!  Prices for solar panels have fallen by more than 1/2 over the past few years, and now experts believe that the costs will be even lower this year.  In order to compete with companies in China and Taiwan, U.S. solar manufacturers have slashed prices.

With bargain basement costs and generous government rebates and incentives, more and more consumers are going solar these days.  As a result, solar cell production is ramping up across the United States to meet solar energy demand, expected to double in 2011.

All this news should be very welcome by homeowners and small businesses.  After all, solar panels used to be out of price range, but are now available for realistic budgets.

Just how cheap will solar panels get?  Currently, wholesale solar panel prices are at about $1.50 per watt.  Experts believe that the costs will fall another 20% by the end of the calendar year.

With as much as 30% of the cost available as a solar tax credit, its time to maximize savings  – both on solar panels and monthly electricity bills!  Its amazing to consider the fact that solar energy installations doubled in 2010 (its now at about 1,000 megawatts).  In the next twelve months, solar energy demand is expected to double again, to 2,000 megawatts in 2011.

Up, up and away go your electricity bills!

Did you know that lighting is a major source of energy consumption?  By reducing the carbon footprint of our lamps, we can literally cut millions of tons of CO2 emissions each year.  And consider this shocking fact:

The electricity used over the lifetime of a single incandescent bulb costs 5 to 10 times the original purchase price of the bulb itself.

While many people are familiar with compact fluorescent bulbs, light emitting diodes (LED) bulbs are actually the greener choice.  Particularly when they are solar LED lights.

Solar LED lights are used by more than just homeowners.  Airports, marine crews, outdoors people, and communities in developing nations all rely on these convenient lighting options.

The soft glow of a solar LED light

There are a number of manufacturers that have started producing solar LED lights recently.  Consumers can delight in the many options available these days, from solar garden lights to safety lighting.

Here are a few options with links to websites:

1. Westinghouse IDC (International Development Corporation) is now distributing LED solar lights to warehouses and retail outlets.  Check with your favorite hardware store to see if they carry the merchandise.
2. Want to purchase LED lights directly?  Check out Brinkmann for a wide variety of solar landscape lighting.
3. Green Solar Light has many solar LED light options, from solar road lamps, solar string, solar spotlights and more.
4. One of my favorite new sites, Starry Night Lights, sells LED lights that can illuminate driveways, sports courts and even parking lots!
5. Long lasting solar lighting comes from Gama Sonic.  One a single day’s charge, the solar LED lights can last as much as 72 hours!
6. There are lots of solar options at Silicon Solar.  Be sure to visit its solar LED lighting page for your residential or commercial needs.

These are just a few of the solar manufacturers who make LED lights.  You can not only find the products at home improvement stores, but often directly online – as many of the companies sell to consumers straight from the Internet.