SunPower Named Top US Commercial Solar Provider In 2018, Among Top Solar Manufacturers

Silicon Valley-based solar panel manufacturer SunPower was named the United States’ leading commercial solar provider and one of the country’s leading solar panel suppliers in Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables latest US PV Leaderboard.

“As a leading solar technology and energy services provider in a market that we expect will continue to grow, we pride ourselves on helping SunPower’s residential and commercial customers meet their energy needs with the industry’s most efficient solar panels available today,” said Tom Werner, SunPower CEO and chairman of the board. “Our 34 years of experience, innovative technology, and complete solar and storage solutions have helped SunPower become a longstanding leader in solar.”

Specifically, SunPower’s US residential business grew by 15% and brought its total customer base up to over 236,000. The company also has a commercial solar installed base of 1.6 gigawatts and boasts 8 of the top 10 corporate solar buyers in America as its customers — including names like IKEA, Macy’s, and Target. The company has also installed over 9 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage at over 20 customer sites.

“This year, SunPower is focused on maintaining our leadership positions by continuing to invest in our Next Generation Technology, solar-plus-storage solutions, digital platforms, and energy services offerings, which we believe offer the best opportunities for growth in the U.S. solar market,” Werner concluded.

Specifically, SunPower unveiled its highly-anticipated Next Generation Technology solar panels in early March which included the industry’s first-ever 400-plus-watt solar panel, the world’s most powerful residential solar panel. SunPower’s new A-Series solar panels can now be bought at 400 watts or 415 watts in the United States, and the Maxeon 3 400 W solar panel in Australia and Europe.

“SunPower is introducing the world’s first 400-watt residential solar panels as most in the industry are just crossing the 300-watt threshold for home solar,” said Jeff Waters, CEO of the SunPower Technologies business unit, at the time. “Our record-breaking cell technology and innovative research and development efforts have enabled us to fit more power capacity on rooftops than we ever have before. Our growing panel portfolio is delivering unprecedented value across global markets that goes unmatched by any other residential solar technology currently available.”