Off grid Solar Market

Company Headquarters: Senegal Founded: 2015 Workforce: ~200 Company Working: Oolu Solar is engaged in the distribution of off-grid solar products in West Africa. The company aims to provide electricity access to the citizens in the region. It offers financing options for its customers, which has boosted sales and adoption of off-grid solar equipment in the region. The company also provides post-sales services such as battery replacement, maintenance, and system upgrades to customers in the region. It aims to provide clean energy and financial services to the 150 million people living offgrid in West Africa. Since its inception, Oolu Solar has sold over 34,000 units in West Africa.

Company Headquarters: Kenya Founded: 2011 Workforce: ~2,500 Company Working: M-KOPA Kenya is engaged in the development and distribution of solar equipment. It is focused on the development of low-cost scalable products, which can be introduced in the African market at low prices. The company’s product range is specifically made for the African market, with a focus on increasing access to electricity in the region. The company also offers financing options to the consumers, which has substantially boosted sales for the company. By the end of 2019, the company sold over 750,000 units of off-grid solar systems in the region.

Company Headquarters: South Korea Founded: 1952 Workforce: ~10,000 Company Working: Hanwha Group is a diversified company and has products for various industries, including chemical, aerospace, mechatronics, construction, finance, and solar energy. It primarily caters to the manufacturing, construction, finance, lifestyle, and leisure industries. The company offers its off-grid solar equipment through its subsidiary Q Cells, which became a part of Hanwha Group in 2012. Q Cells operates through its manufacturing units located across South Korea, Malaysia, China, and the US. Q Cells has a technology and innovation center in Germany. It has a dedicated sales network that spans across 40 countries. Hanwha Group has a PV cell production capacity of more than 9 GW annually, and between 2012 and 2018 produced over 2.5 billion solar cells. The company has extensive operations in Asia-Pacific, North America, Europe, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Headquarters: California, US Founded: 1985 Workforce: Approximately 7,306 Company Working: SunPower Corporation is engaged in the business of crystalline silicon solar photovoltaic cells and solar panels. SunPower Corporation is also involved in research and development, and supply of solar power solutions, globally. The company operates in three main segments, namely residential, commercial, and power plants. For over three decades, SunPower Corporation solar panels generated around 18,000,000-megawatt hour (MWh) of solar power, globally and holds more than 750 patents for solar technology. SunPower Corporation offers commercial rooftop and ground-mounted solar power systems, residential mounting systems, and power plant systems, as well as utility-scale photovoltaic power plants. In addition to that, the company offers operations and maintenance services and outage restoration services. The company has prevalence in countries such as the US, Japan, and the UK and in Philippines. In 2011, SunPower Corporation became a subsidiary of global oil and gas giant, Total Energies Nouvelles Activités, USA, which bought the majority stake in the company to become a major player in the solar power industry. Also, SunPower has subsidiaries such as SunPower Malaysia Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd, SunPower Philippines Manufacturing Limited, and SunPower Technology Ltd. It competes with companies such as Trina Solar, Canadian Solar Inc., JA Solar Holdings, Yingli Solar, and Abengoa Solar.

Company Headquarters: Guelph, Canada Founded: 2001 Workforce: N/A Company Working: Canadian Solar is engaged in manufacturing and providing solar photovoltaic modules and solar energy solutions. The company offers customers a wide collection of products, including solar PV modules, solar inverters, energy solutions, and PV energy storage. It operates through two business segments, namely, MSS and energy. The company provides EPC and O&M services under the MSS segment. It has 17 manufacturing facilities across the Americas and Asia-Pacific. It offers products to clients in more than 150 countries across the world. Canadian Solar has a presence in several countries across the globe, including the US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UAE, South Africa, India, China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Australia. Canadian Solar South Africa Pty. Ltd., Recurrent Energy, LLC, and SpectraWatt Inc. are some of its subsidiaries of the company.

Company Headquarters: Niestetal, Germany Founded: 1981 Workforce: ~3,124 Company Working: SMA Solar Technology AG is one of the leading companies specializing in photovoltaic solar technology. The company operates through three segments, namely, home solutions, business solutions, and large scale & project solutions. It manufactures and sells transformers, chokes, solar inverters, and monitoring systems for solar power systems. The company also offers PV inverters, battery inverters, smart module technology, DC technology, system solutions & packages, and monitoring & control systems. Moreover, the home solutions and business solutions segment contributes to the off-grid solar business of the company. Furthermore, the company also offers SMA Solar Technology AG energy management solutions and O&M services for solar photovoltaic power plants. SMA Solar Technology AG has a presence in 18 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East & Africa. SMA Solar Technology Canada, Inc., SMA Solar India Private Limited, SMA America, and SMA new energy technology Co. Ltd are a few of the subsidiaries of the company.