Wiki-Solar’s list of top solar EPC contractors in Q3 2024 is led by US’ SOLV Energy, which also leads its O&M list
There are 34 EPC contractors in this list that together have commissioned over 100 GW AC of solar PV capacity
Large average sizes of projects in the US, China and India ensure companies from these countries dominate the list
As solar PV projects become larger in size in their home countries, solar EPC contractors from the US, China and India top the Wiki-Solar list of leading contractors in this segment.
The Wiki-Solar list covers top EPC contractors for utility-scale projects with more than 4 MW AC solar projects. Wiki-Solar Founder Philip Wolfe explained that the current average size of solar power plants being installed in the US is 90 MW at present, up from 15 MW a decade ago. India already has utility-scale projects being built with an average size of over 80 MW. Now, GW-scale plants are being built in China, India and the US as well.
In comparison, the average plant size in Europe is much smaller at less than 20 MW. Hence, European contractors must build more projects to keep up with their counterparts elsewhere.
According to the utility-scale database of Wiki-Solar, US-based SOLV Energy, previously Swinerton Renewable Energy, leads the list with 13.2 GW AC of operational capacity at the end of September 2024.
McCarthy Building of the US takes 2nd spot with 6.2 GW AC operational capacity, followed by Eiffage Energie Systems of France with 5.3 GW AC capacity. India’s Larsen & Toubro with 4.9 GW AC and US’ First Solar with 4.3 GW AC capacity took 4th and 5th positions, respectively.
Altogether, the 34 EPC contractors in this list have 108.6 GW AC of solar PV capacity operational in the world, including 30% of this commissioned since the start of 2023.
Wiki-Solar counts 27 of the leading utility scale solar developers to have installed nearly 50 GW AC of new capacity in 2023-24, representing 50% growth to the 100 GW AC they held at the end of 2022.
Additionally, Wiki-Solar also keeps track of leading operation and maintenance (O&M) contractors of utility scale projects with 4 MW AC and above capacity. SOLV Energy tops this list as well with 11.1 GW AC capacity, followed by its compatriot First Solar with 4.6 GW AC, France’s Eiffage Energie Systems with 3.8 GW AC.
Another French company Equans of Bouygues group and Germany’s juwi come next with 3.4 GW AC capacity each, and 221 and 156 operating plants, respectively.