SunPower History
SunPower has been developing world record-breaking solar technology since the 1970s. Our history over these decades has been marked by creativity, craftsmanship – and confidence. Today we are the global leader in developing high-efficiency solar solutions for homes, businesses and governments, commercial buildings and utilities.
2010s
Through constant innovation and new partnerships, SunPower reaches new heights to create a global leader in the solar industry.
| 2012: | SunPower acquires French solar company Tenesol, further increasing SunPower's global footprint. Tenesol has been designing and tailoring off-grid applications for nearly 30 years to suit all local geographical specificities and meet the energy consumption needs of its clients, offering a wide range of PV solutions, both standard and back up, fully solar and hybrid (solar/diesel). |
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| 2011: | -- Total and SunPower partner to create a new global leader in the solar industry. -- SunPower™ Maxeon™ cell technology powers Solar Impulse, a prototype solar airplane which, for the first time in aviation history, has succeeded in flying for 26 consecutive hours powered only by solar energy. A second solar airplane, with SunPower™ solar cells, is being built to circumnavigate the globe in 2014. -- SunPower launches the C7 Tracker, a solar concentrator that delivers a bankable solution for utility-scale solar power plants. -- SunPower launches the new SunPower™ AC Solar Panel, a cutting-edge solution for homes that maximises energy output for each panel. |
| 2010: | SunPower announces world-record monocrystalline polysilicon cell efficiency of 24.2%. |
2000s
This decade was filled with many accomplishments and milestones for SunPower. The company became publicly listed on the NYSE with CEO Tom Werner taking the company to new levels. SunPower set new world records in solar cell efficiency.
| 2009: | -- President Obama dedicates 25 MW SunPower solar power plant system at Florida Power & Light’s Desoto installation. -- PlanetSolar chooses SunPower's high-efficiency solar cells to power the world's largest solar catamaran. |
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| 2008: | SunPower announces world-record monocrystalline polysilicon cell efficiency of 23.4%. |
| 2007: | -- SunPower begins volume production of its record breaking high efficiency cell, averaging 22.4% conversion efficiency. --SunPower acquires PowerLight Corporation, resulting in a vertically integrated company serving the residential, commercial and utility-scale power plant markets. -- A second manufacturing facility (Fab 2) with 330 MW capacity rating on 10 lines, comes on line in the Philippines. |
| 2005: | A successful Initial Public Offering fuels new growth and a solidified position in the solar market. |
| 2004: | Our first manufacturing facility (Fab 1) comes online in Philippines and the company’s first utility-scale power plant comes online in Bavaria. |
| 2003: | SunPower recruits Tom Werner as CEO, to take the company to the next level. |
| 2002: | Cypress Semiconductors Board invests $8 million in SunPower. |
| 2001: | Our world-record efficiency A-300 solar cells power NASA’s Helios project, achieving a record altitude of 96,863 feet. |
1990s
In the 1990s, SunPower received initial funding from Associate Venture Investors and Technology Funding and an R&D contract from EPRI and US DOE. SunPower solar technology was used to power some of the most innovative applications for solar power race cars and aeroplanes.
| 1997: | SunPower’s high efficiency solar cells power NASA’s Pathfinder, second generation and unmanned remotely piloted solar powered high altitude aircraft. |
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| 1993: | SunPower’s all-back contact, high efficiency solar cells power a Honda car to victory in a car race across Australia, beating the second place winner by one full day. |
| 1990: | SunPower received initial funding and an R&D contract from EPRI and the U.S. Department of Energy. |
1980s
By 1985, Dr. Swanson (who by then was a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford) had been awarded grants from the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy to support his solar power explorations. With the help of these funds – as well as financial support from two venture capital firms – SunPower was officially incorporated.
1970s
Our record of solar innovation began nearly four decades ago, when our co-founder, Dr. Richard Swanson, was exploring ways to deal with the oil crisis. At that time, solar cells were being used on satellites, a concept he found intriguing. His engineering challenge was to figure out how to make the cells more cost-effective. So he began a quest which, almost 40 years later, has helped position SunPower as a leader in residential, commercial and utility-scale solar power production.
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PlanetSolar – First around the world with SunPower
Embarking on its maiden voyage in September 2010, PlanetSolar is the first vehicle to have successfully circumnavigated the globe using only solar energy; SunPower high-efficiency solar cells were used to propel the solar ship, which, following a course close to the equator, travelled for 19 months, visiting 28 countries across 5 continents.
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