Solar Power World Network recently announced the release of its 2016 Top 500 Solar Contractors list. The Top Solar Contractors list is the most recognized annual listing of North America’s top solar contractors working in the utility, commercial and residential markets.
Companies are grouped and listed by specific service (construction firms, developers, electrical subcontractors, EPCs, rooftop contractors), markets (commercial, residential, utility) and states by 2015 installed capacity. You can interact with the Top 500 Solar Contractors digital list many ways including by market, by service and by selected states.
This year’s Top Solar Contractors list, which is the fifth annual, includes 38 contractors that have appeared every year since 2012. Three of these companies—Monolith Solar Associates, Creative Energies Solar and Energy Independent Solutions—were profiled for the issue.
“We’re immensely proud of this year’s class of contractors—they’re all doing great work and driving innovation in the solar industry,” said Steven Bushong, associate editor of Solar Power World.
“The companies on this year’s list exude solar-business brilliance, and they deserve to be recognized not only for being great companies but also for how their work positively impacts the environment,” said Kathie Zipp, managing editor of Solar Power World.
This year’s cohort of contractors works amid a burgeoning business market. The U.S. solar market is expected to grow 119% this year, according to GTM Research.
Altogether, listed companies employed 133,707 people in 2015, up from 124,967 last year. While a majority of solar electricity is produced at large, utility-scale solar power plants, the greatest number of installation jobs are located with companies that service residential and commercial clients.
Other interesting facts about the 2016 Top 500 Solar Contractors list include:
231 identified themselves as EPCs; 171 identified themselves as rooftop solar contractors
287 worked primarily in the residential market; 154 worked primarily in the commercial market
130 companies were headquartered in California
355 companies had at least one NABCEP-certified principal on staff
77% of companies reported doing most of their business within its state of headquarters
119 contractors reported have 10 or fewer employees; 236 reported having between 11 and 50
“No one can deny that local companies are supporting the growth of the industry,” Zipp said. “Our Top Solar Contractors are the face of the industry—meeting homeowners and business leaders on doorsteps every day.”
To ensure the quality of the list, Solar Power World again partnered with SolarReviews.com, the leading site for customer-generated reviews of solar installations and solar equipment, which offered analysis of businesses. The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) is also a valued partner for the Top 500 project.
