Photovoltaic news and pv jobs

First Solar tops PV project developer list

According to the latest data from Wiki-Solar, U.S.-based thin film manufacturer, First Solar Inc. is the top photovoltaic project installer globally, having added 759 MW across 11 sites.

First Solar is ranked number 1 as a photovoltaic project developer and EPC contractor.

Overall, five of the top 15 photovoltaic project developers are U.S.-based, while four are Chinese, says Wiki-Solar. It adds, "Though Chinese developers were responsible for most installations in their home country, they are less active internationally. Meanwhile developers like First Solar, Juwi and SunEdison, who lead the world rankings, operate across a broader range of countries."

The table below shows the top 10 developers:

First Solar and Juwi Solar also top the list of global EPC contractors, followed by Enerparc, Solarhybrid and Sunselex. Activ Solar, Zachry, Q.Cells, Bechel and Saferay complete the top 10.

Although China is tipped to become the top solar market in 2013, Wiki-Solar finds that Europe and the U.S. still lead the way in terms of utility-scale installations (10 MW and over).

Cumulative worldwide utility-scale capacity is said to be 12.4 GW, led by Germany with 2.8 GW (and 51 MW in the pipeline), China with 2.8 GW (and 521 MW in the pipeline) and the U.S. with 2 GW (and 6.7 GW in the pipeline).