In this article, we will list the manufacturers of solar panels in the United States.

THE BEST SOLAR PANEL MANUFACTURERS IN THE UNITED STATES

SOLAR PANELS IN USA : a list of US-made solar panels

 

On January 22, 2018, the Trump Administration announced a 30 percent tariff on solar panels and cells imported into the United States.

This announcement generated many questions for solar energy customers. One of the most popular questions: where can I find solar panels that are manufactured in the United States? 

While most solar projects in the United States use imported panels, there are more American manufacturers than you might think.

The following solar panel companies make up part (or all) of their manufacturing in the United States.

Companies that manufacture solar panels in the US UU (2019)

• Heliene – Mountain Iron, MN (manufacturing facility in the US)
• Itek Energy – Bellingham, WA
• Mission Solar – San Antonio, TX
• Seraphim – Jackson, MS (home of the U.S.)
• Solaria – Fremont, CA (home of the US)
• SolarTech Universal – Riviera Beach, FL
• SolarWorld Americas – Hillsboro, OR
• Suniva – Norcross, GA
• SunSpark – Riverside, CA
• Tesla / Panasonic – Buffalo, NY (manufacturing facility in the US) 

While most solar projects in the United States use imported panels, there are more American manufacturers than you might think.

The following solar panel companies make up part (or all) of their manufacture in the United States.

There are two things we should mention about our list of US-made solar panel companies.

First, many of these companies  assemble  their solar panels in the US. UU., But the key components of other countries matter.

These components also fall within the solar tariff, but there is an exception for the first 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of solar cells imported each year. (By context,

The United States installed 12 GW of solar energy in all of 2017, of which it is estimated that 2.5 GW were solar panels manufactured in the USA. UU.)

Second, not all companies on this list are based in the United States. Some, like Heliene, have their headquarters elsewhere. Others, such as SolarWorld Americas, are subsidiaries of foreign manufacturers. However, they all manufacture some of their panels in the United States.

Read on to learn more about the companies that make solar panels in the United States.

 

What are the best companies that manufacture solar panels in the United States?

Although the vast majority of solar manufacturers import their equipment from Southeast Asia (even in the case of major US solar companies such as SunPower), there is a short list of US solar companies that manufacture their solar panels here in the United States.

Here is the breakdown of US solar companies. US:

• Itek Energy
• Heliene
• Solarium
• Mission Solar
• SunSpark
• SolarWorld Americas
• Suniva
• Seraphim
• Solartech

Missing from the previous list are Tesla and Panasonic, which began manufacturing US solar panels in late 2017. The two companies are producing Tesla’s new low-profile solar roof and solar panel product at its large manufacturing facility in Buffalo, known as Gigafactory.

WHERE ARE SOLAR PANELS MANUFACTURED, SHOULD YOU WORRY?

One of the things you may have doubts about when buying a solar system is where the solar panels are manufactured. This article will help you determine if the country of manufacture of a panel should be a key consideration for you.

 

Does it matter where solar panel companies are installed and where do the panels?

When it comes to quality, mention of the name of any country will evoke an association; Each nation has its own brand image, which may or may not be justified.

However, as an intelligent solar buyer, you will want to analyze the facts to make a more informed decision. Our recommendation is to   judge each panel on its own merits. 

What happens if the manufacturing country is important to me?

This does not mean that the country of origin is never important, of course: everyone has their own preferences. For example, many Americans would prefer solar panels manufactured in the USA. UU To those who are imported, either for patriotic reasons or because they trust in the quality of the “manufactured in the United States” brand.

Costs of panels manufactured in the USA

US-made solar panels generally cost $ 0.50 to $ 0.80 per watt (W), around $ 0.10 to $ 0.30 more per watt than imported panels.

US panels of the highest quality and ‘premium’ can even reach $ 1.00 / W.

For a typical 6kW system, an additional cost of $ 0.30 / W translates to approximately $ 1,800, a reasonable amount to pay if the ‘Made in the United States’ seal is important to you.

Also keep in mind that some states may offer refunds for locally manufactured panels that can offset some or all of the additional cost.

Manufacturing location versus headquarters location

If the ‘country brand’ is important to you, keep in mind that the location of a company’s headquarters is not always the same as in its factories. (For example, SunPower is a premium American brand that has manufacturing plants both in the US and in the Philippines.)

Other things being equal, knowing that the head office of a company is relatively close or in a family country could help you make a decision.

Where do the panels manufacture the main solar companies?

Next,  Bitenergy.org  compiled a list of the leading active solar panel companies in the US market. UU According to the latest information available in 2018.

The table is broken down by the market share of each company, the location of the headquarters, the locations of the manufacturing facilities and the general ranking of quality.

The key points of the table below are that:

1)  no country dominates the market  (although the United States and China do appear more frequently), and

 2)  there is little or no correlation between the country of manufacture and the quality ranking of the company

Manufacturer of solar panels	Participation in the US market *	Solar panels manufactured in …
Suniva	two%	USA
Sunpower	17%	China, Mexico, Philippines
Suntech	two%	China, Japan, USA UU
Trina Solar	17%	China

 How many houses currently have solar energy in the United States?

There are currently 1.3 million solar installations in the United States, with an accumulated capacity of more than 40 gigawatts. The Association of Solar Energy Industries estimates that 1 megawatt of electricity can power  164 households  , so 40 gigawatts is enough to feed 6,560,000  American households

What percentage of solar energy is used in the United States?

Today, solar energy provides five tenths of  1 percent  of the total energy consumed in the United States.

While the amount of solar power capacity on a large scale in the USA. UU It has increased in recent years, from 334 megawatts in 1997 to 13,406 megawatts in 2015, still only represents  0.6%  of net profit

Photovoltaic energy, the ranking of the best manufacturers in the United States.

A new appointment with PVCompare, which on this occasion produces the ranking of the best producers of photovoltaic panels in the United States. The research work was carried out through the exploitation of data from 30,000 plants in the world and the isolation of those related to the United States. The comparison, in particular, is based on historical production data recorded in 2014, so it is likely that by the end of 2015 the classification may change.

From a  general scenario  , according to the Association of Solar Energy Industries and GTM Research, the US market reached  6,201 MW  of new energy installed only last year, + 30% compared to 2013. In general, 32% of the new installed capacity In the USA UU., The photovoltaic solar energy surpasses the thermal power stations wind and coal.

For more details, the creators of panels that stood out in the United States last year are the following.

Sharp Corporation  ranked first in 2014 with a performance of  1517 kWh / kWp  . In particular, the study mentions a Grain Valley facility of 5,760 W.

Sharp has built its credibility by focusing, since 1959, on research and development and on obtaining an innovative solar solution. Since ’59, when founder Tokuji Hayakawa started developing solar cells, the company has achieved many successes, including the installation of its solar cells in the satellites of Japan. It is active all over the world: Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.

Follow the German company  SolarWorld AG  thanks to a performance in 2014 of  1,340 kWh / kWp  referred to the Edwardsville plant of 5,635 W.

SolarWorld AG is responsible for producing and marketing solar panels worldwide, has 3,400 employees and has a leading position in all major markets; this reduces transportation costs and facilitates cost optimization in production processes. The bases to face the challenge of the global competition are: standards, quality and high technology production.

Bronze medal for  ReneSola  , with a performance of  1,150 kWh / kWp  in 2014 linked to a plant of 11,985 W. St Charles.

This producer is active internationally in more than 16 countries in the supply of products related to green energy. Taking advantage of economies of scale, low cost production capacity and technological innovations, ReneSola offers its customers high quality products at competitive costs, as well as O & M services.

Canadian Solar Inc  . it occupies fourth place thanks to a performance of  1,079 kWh / kWp  from a Washington DC plant of 16,250 W.

It is an active global provider in 20 countries on 6 continents. The company employs more than 8,500 workers worldwide and its numbers speak of more than 12 GW of panels (more than 30 million photovoltaic modules) served in the last 14 years. With the recent acquisition of Recurrent Energy, Canadian Solar’s total projects are now at 9 GW.

Finally,  Schüco  ranked fifth in 2014 with a performance of  1,058 kWh / kWp in 2014 and a 3,055 W. Webster Groves plant.

This company based in Bielefeld (Germany) is present all over the world and is active in the market of innovative building envelopes. Schüco Solar Shading CTB, for example, is the first high-performance solar protection that can be fully integrated into the façade without stability problems in high winds.

Read more about The benefits of solar energy