Trina Solar

Corporate brand

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A Chinese photovoltaic company producing solar modules and developing photovoltaic systems and smart-energy solutions.

Last updated October 9, 2026

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Overview

Trina Solar is a Chinese photovoltaic company founded in 1997 by Jifan Gao and headquartered in Changzhou, Jiangsu. The company operates across the solar-energy value chain, with activities centered on photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic systems, and smart-energy solutions. Its brand is associated with the development and manufacture of crystalline-silicon solar products and with the delivery of utility-scale, commercial, and other solar-power systems. The company was established during the early expansion of China's photovoltaic industry and developed from a domestic solar manufacturer into an international supplier. Its business model combines the sale of photovoltaic products with system integration and energy-related solutions, allowing it to serve customers beyond the component market. Trina Solar's products and systems have been marketed across international markets, including China, the United States, Europe, and other regions. A prominent product family is the Vertex range of photovoltaic modules. The company has promoted Vertex products as high-power module platforms intended for utility-scale, commercial, and other solar installations. Its broader offering also includes photovoltaic-system capabilities and smart-energy services associated with the design, integration, and operation of solar installations. In June 2020, Trina Solar completed a listing on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, commonly known as the STAR Market, of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The listing gave the company a mainland China public-market presence under ticker 688599.SH. It remains an active company and continues to present itself as a global provider of photovoltaic products and smart-energy solutions. Trina Solar has also faced scrutiny connected with the geopolitical and regulatory risks affecting the solar supply chain. A 2023 Sheffield Hallam University report assessed the company as having very high exposure to production in Xinjiang involving alleged forced Uyghur labor. In August 2023, the United States Department of Commerce determined that Trina Solar had circumvented tariffs applicable to Chinese-made goods. In November 2024, the company sold a Texas plant to T1 Energy shortly after the facility opened, amid scrutiny in the United States of Chinese companies and companies receiving benefits connected with the Inflation Reduction Act. These matters are important to understanding the regulatory and reputational environment surrounding the brand, but they do not change its identity as a photovoltaic manufacturer and energy-solutions company.

History

Trina Solar was founded in 1997 by Jifan Gao in China during the formative period of the country's modern photovoltaic industry. The company developed as a solar manufacturer and later broadened its activities beyond module production to include photovoltaic systems and smart-energy solutions. This expansion enabled Trina Solar to participate in both the supply of solar hardware and the development or integration of larger solar-power projects. The company's identity is closely associated with photovoltaic module technology. It has marketed module families under the Vertex name and has addressed utility-scale, commercial, and other installation segments. Alongside products, Trina Solar has described its business as including photovoltaic-system capabilities and smart-energy offerings, reflecting the industry's shift from stand-alone component sales toward integrated energy solutions. Trina Solar expanded its commercial reach internationally, supplying products and solutions in China and overseas markets. Its international profile made the company part of the wider global solar-manufacturing network, which is heavily affected by trade policy, supply-chain due diligence, and competition between Chinese and non-Chinese production bases. In June 2020, Trina Solar became a publicly traded company on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange. The listing is a major corporate milestone and established the company's mainland China public-market identity under ticker 688599.SH. During the 2020s, the company became subject to scrutiny related to the sourcing and trade environment surrounding photovoltaic manufacturing. A 2023 Sheffield Hallam University report described Trina Solar as having very high exposure to production in Xinjiang involving alleged forced Uyghur labor. In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that Trina Solar had circumvented tariffs on Chinese-made goods. These developments placed the company within broader debates about forced-labor compliance, Chinese solar supply chains, and the application of U.S. trade remedies. In November 2024, Trina Solar sold a Texas plant to T1 Energy approximately a week after the plant opened. The transaction took place amid U.S. government scrutiny of Chinese companies and firms benefiting from incentives associated with the Inflation Reduction Act. The reference material also records a June 2026 addition of the company to a U.S. Department of Defense list of Chinese military-linked companies. Together, these events illustrate the geopolitical pressures affecting the brand's international operations, especially in the United States. Trina Solar remains an active photovoltaic company whose principal public identity rests on solar modules, photovoltaic systems, and smart-energy solutions. Its history combines manufacturing growth, international expansion, public listing, product development, and increasing exposure to trade, supply-chain, and national-security regulation.

2024
Texas plant sold to T1 Energy
[1]Trina Solar - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Trina Solar sold its Texas plant to T1 Energy shortly after the facility opened.
2023
Supply-chain exposure report
[1]Trina Solar - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
A Sheffield Hallam University report identified very high exposure to Xinjiang production involving alleged forced Uyghur labor.
2023
U.S. tariff-circumvention ruling
[1]Trina Solar - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
The U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that Trina Solar had circumvented tariffs on Chinese-made goods.
2020
STAR Market listing
[1]Trina Solar - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Trina Solar listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board of the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
1997
Company founded
[1]Trina Solar - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Jifan Gao founded Trina Solar in China as a photovoltaic company.

Products and positioning

A global photovoltaic technology and solutions provider positioned around high-efficiency solar modules, system integration, and smart-energy capabilities.

Photovoltaic modules
Vertex
Vertex is Trina Solar's named family of photovoltaic modules. The range represents the company's high-power module platform and is marketed for applications including utility-scale solar farms, commercial and industrial installations, and other photovoltaic projects. The available reference material identifies Vertex as a flagship offering but does not provide a complete specification history or a definitive list of individual generations.
Solar systems
Photovoltaic systems
Trina Solar supplies or develops photovoltaic-system solutions in addition to individual modules. These activities place the company in system integration and project delivery as well as component manufacturing. The offering can serve larger solar installations and other customer applications, although the reference material does not specify a complete product catalog or individual system models.
Energy solutions
Smart-energy solutions
Smart-energy solutions are part of Trina Solar's stated business scope alongside photovoltaic products and systems. They extend the brand's positioning from solar-module manufacturing toward integrated energy services and technologies. The available references do not identify specific smart-energy products, launch dates, or technical specifications.

Controversies

2026
U.S. military-linked-company designation
The reference material states that the U.S. Department of Defense added Trina Solar to a list of Chinese military-linked companies in June 2026. The event is retained as reported in the supplied material and requires verification against the relevant official notice.
Source
2023
Xinjiang supply-chain labor allegations
A Sheffield Hallam University report assessed Trina Solar as having very high exposure to production in Xinjiang involving alleged forced Uyghur labor. The report contributed to scrutiny of the company's supply-chain due diligence and the broader sourcing practices of the solar industry.
Source
2023
U.S. tariff-circumvention finding
The U.S. Department of Commerce ruled in August 2023 that Trina Solar had circumvented tariffs on Chinese-made goods, placing the company within a broader U.S. trade-enforcement dispute involving Chinese solar manufacturers.
Source

2024
Sale of Texas plant to T1 EnergyM&A
Background
The sale occurred shortly after the Texas facility opened, amid U.S. scrutiny of Chinese companies and companies benefiting from Inflation Reduction Act incentives.
Action taken
Trina Solar sold the Texas plant to T1 Energy in November 2024.
Aftermath
The transaction transferred ownership of the facility to T1 Energy. The supplied material does not state the transaction value or provide further operating consequences.
Source
2020
Public-market listingOther
Background
Trina Solar pursued a mainland China public listing as part of its corporate financing and development path.
Action taken
The company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange STAR Market under ticker 688599.SH.
Aftermath
The listing established Trina Solar as a publicly traded company in China's technology-focused equity market.
Source

Recent events

Unconfirmed
Trina Solar and Sinopec sign strategic cooperation framework agreement[6]天合光能与中国石化签署战略合作框架协议prnasia.com
Reported: 2021-07-26
Trina Solar and Sinopec signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement covering areas including zero-carbon energy transformation at service stations, green-electricity hydrogen production, and photovoltaic materials and research and development.
2021-04-15
Trina Solar launches the Agile dual-row linked tracker[7]天合光能全球发布安捷双排联动跟踪支架prnasia.com
Reported: 2021-04-15
Trina Solar globally launched its Agile dual-row linked tracker, which is designed for high-power modules and covers a power range of 400W to 670W+.
2021-04-10
Jiangsu Bank and 17 companies launch climate finance initiative[8]江苏银行与17家企业发起气候融资倡议news.cnfol.com
Jiangsu Bank and 17 companies jointly launched a climate finance initiative, stating that they would promote green, low-carbon and sustainable investment and financing and support low-carbon development.
Unconfirmed
Trina Solar completes grid connection of Los Llanos project phase two[9]Trina Solar完成Los Llanos项目第二阶段并网prnewswire.com
Reported: 2021-01-27
Trina Solar's second phase of the Los Llanos photovoltaic power plant project in Colombia was connected to the grid, and its commercial operations were officially declared.
2020-03-18
Trina Solar announced a pilot line for mass production of 500W+ V-series modules[10]Trina Solar宣布启动500W+ V系列模组量产试验线prnewswire.com
Reported: 2020-03-20
Trina Solar announced a pilot line for mass production of its 500W+ Duomax V and Tallmax V modules. The company said the pilot line laid a foundation for capacity expansion to 5.5 GW that year.
2020-03
Trina Solar releases a 500W+ solar module[11]天合光能发布500W+组件产品finance.sina.com.cn
Reported: 2020-03-06
Trina Solar released a module based on 210 mm large-size wafers and PERC monocrystalline cells, with stated power above 500W and module efficiency of 21%.

Sources12 sources

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