THE BIGGEST SOLAR BUILDERS

Who Was The Largest Solar EPC In 2012?

28 March 2013 (Solar Industry)

“For the first time, U.S.-based First Solar became the world's largest photovoltaic engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor in 2012, with more than 500 MW of projects completed. This total represented an increase of 50% over 2011's total, according to a new report from IMS Research, now part of IHS Inc.

“…[A] major shift in global rankings occurred in 2012 due to the explosive growth witnessed in Asia and the Americas at the expense of Europe…Just four European EPCs appeared in IHS' top 10 rankings for 2012. Two other U.S.-based EPCs - SunEdison and SunPower - were also featured in the top 15, installing 390 MW and 190 MW, respectively…”

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“First Solar and SunEdison were found to have benefited from the huge utility-scale PV pipeline being constructed both in the U.S. and many other countries over a number of years. These projects include the 550 MW Topaz solar farm and the 290 MW Agua Caliente solar project…[Also high in the 2012 rankings were] Chinese companies linked to state-owned utilities and industrial companies that benefited from massive domestic demand in ground-mount projects…

“…[A]n Indian company, Larsen & Toubro, appeared in the top 10 ranking for the first time…[with] nearly 200 MW of projects in 2012, nearly double the amount that it completed the year before. Like their Chinese counterparts, Indian EPCs remain in an excellent position to capitalize on the high growth of domestic ground-mount projects, according to the report…11 of the 30 largest EPCs last year were European, installing 2 GW of new capacity between them…These same companies are also becoming increasingly active in new emerging markets around the world, including Latin America and Asia…”

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