Solar cell modules being produced in a factory in Jiangsu province, China. Credit: Xu ruiping/AP Photo
China dominates global solar production, and it’s not even close. In 2021, eight of the world’s top 10 solar manufacturers were Chinese, accounting for two-thirds of global shipments.
But while China Inc. has maintained a steady stranglehold on global solar output, the identity of the companies involved has been more changeable. Two of the biggest solar producers today, LONGi Green Energy Technology and Tongwei Solar, were just minor players in 2015, failing to break the top ten list. Even within an industry known for dramatic boom and bust cycles, the pace at which these two firms have reached the top is impressive.
This week, The Wire looks at the current leaders of the solar manufacturing race: who they are, how they got so big, and — amid a U.S. Commerce Department investigation into alleged tariff evasion by Chinese solar firms — their prospects of staying at the top.
THE SOLAR PROCESS
Data: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The solar supply c
Exclusive longform investigative journalism, Q&As, news and analysis, and data on Chinese business elites and corporations. We publish China scoops you won't find anywhere else.
A weekly curated reading list on China from David Barboza, Pulitzer Prize-winning former Shanghai correspondent for The New York Times.
A daily roundup of China finance, business and economics headlines.
We offer discounts for groups, institutions and students. Go to our Subscriptions page for details.
Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
