New research has unveiled the top 15 players in the US commercial solar market. According to GTM Research, the following 15 companies were involved in half of all commercial solar capacity installed in 2017, regardless of their participation along the value chain.
The report says SunPower is a clear leader based on both its direct installation business (133 MW) and channel partner business (98 MW), which grew nearly threefold in 2017. While SunPower doesn’t conduct the actual installations for its commercial channel partners, it is involved in multiple steps of the development cycle including customer lead generation, marketing, financing, and project design. This strategy allows SunPower to tap into multiple segments of the commercial market – its direct business focuses on large (+1 MW) projects, whereas its channel partners target small to medium commercial solar projects (< 1 MW).
SunPower made headlines in February when it marked the commencement of operations for an energy storage system at the US Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. The solar array and storage project was designed, built and will be operated and maintained by SunPower, with financing provided by Birmingham-headquartered Regions Bank. The solar array, combined with a storage component that maximizes clean electricity use at Redstone, is expected to improve the Army’s energy resilience, reduce electricity costs, and provide energy diversity.
Meanwhile, Tesla garnered attention recently when it announced the company’s 100-MW lithium-ion battery, known as the Hornsdale Power Reserve, is playing a valuable role for South Australia’s electricity supply during very high demand days.
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