What is the Top Solar Contractors List?
Solar Power World, the leading solar publication covering technology, development and installation, publishes the Top Solar Contractors List annually. The list includes hundreds of solar contractors and developers in the United States, listed and categorized by state/territory, service and market.
How does a company get on the Top Solar Contractors List?
Any U.S. company wanting to take part in the Top Solar Contractors campaign must fill out an application every year. It is free to apply, and the application is released online at the end of February (the 2025 application is now closed). Companies are listed by their kilowatt capacity installed in the previous year, verified against state interconnection records.
Who can apply for the Top Solar Contractors List?
The list includes solar PV companies that provide the following services: EPC contracting, development, construction/installation, electrical work and/or rooftop-specific installations. Companies can do work in any market segment, including utility, commercial, community and residential. As a list focused on contractors physically completing installations, companies performing engineering-only tasks or offering only O&M services are not accepted.
How are companies on the Top Solar Contractors List determined?
Companies are listed according to the kilowatt capacity of projects they installed, developed or helped construct in the previous year within the borders of the United States and its territories (global installations are not counted, including installations in Canada). Each company is listed multiple ways: by state/territory, market and service. We also have a Top Solar + Storage Installer List that incorporates storage kilowatt-hours.
Only new and re-installed kilowatts installed in the previous calendar year can be submitted for each list. Re-installed kilowatts (in the case of re-roofing or other solar removal tasks) must be proven by supplemental information. O&M/post-installation-serviced kilowatts are not accepted. If you have acquired operational solar projects in the last calendar year, you cannot include those kilowatts in your application as you were not the initial development or installation company. This list is only for projects directly completed by developers, installers and subcontractors. No O&M or acquired projects are permitted.
What are the different solar service definitions?
- Developer – A company that secures financing for solar installations, often owning the result, and may or may not build the project, sometimes contracting with local EPCs.
- EPC – Responsible for the engineering, procurement and construction of non-residential solar projects. Often the primary contractor and will sometimes appoint subcontractors to do aspects of installation or electrical work. EPCs must perform some aspect of installation.
- Installer – A solar installer that works primarily on either residential or commercial rooftop installations or other small-scale systems.
- Electrical Subcontractor – A company that performs specialized work related to the installation of electrical systems, often under contract with the developer or EPC, up to transformer hookup. This role for the Top Solar Contractors List does not include transformer-only work.
- Installation Subcontractor – A company that often works under a developer or EPC on a specific aspect of a solar array, such as pile driving or panel installation. Engineering and civil construction firms completing non-solar-specific tasks (access road construction, land grading) without participating in hands-on solar installation cannot apply.
- Sales Partner – A company that only handles the sales process (usually within the residential market) and hands off the installation to a reputable installation partner.
What are the different market divisions? (NEW details for 2025)
The main list is separated into four main markets: Utility, Commercial, Community Solar and Residential. Applicants in 2025 will no longer have the past year’s kilowatts organized into one primary market. Kilowatts will be sorted into their appropriate market category, based on descriptions included in the submitted data documents. For example, a company may perform work in the Commercial, Community and Residential markets and will be listed accordingly in the three markets based on the kilowatts installed in the previous year within those markets individually.
Applicants will be asked to choose their “primary project type” for each market — tracking system vs. fixed-tilt within the utility market, and rooftop vs. ground-mount in the commercial, community and residential markets. These choices will not be reflected in new Top Solar Contractors sublists but will instead be included as secondary identifiers on the market lists for educational purposes.
How do I apply for the Top Solar Contractors List?
Applying is easy. The application is open from late February to late May every year. The 2025 application portal is now closed.
Can my company review the questions prior to filling out the application?
Yes. Each year we provide the application in PDF form to review. Here is the 2025 PDF, but note we are no longer accepting applications.
What information do I need to apply?
In addition to basic company information (number of employees, address, etc.), applicants must submit documented proof of installations in an Excel document. Data must be submitted to support claimed kilowatt installation numbers. We require for each project: project size (DC kilowatts), project location (city and state) and installation completion date (between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2024 for the 2025 list).
For subcontractors unaware of project commissioning dates, please include your work completion date along with the name of the general contractor or project owner, so we have secondary information in case we need to follow up. Details on listing kWh storage capacities can be found here.
Please note, your provided information will not be used for any other purposes or provided to anyone else for solicitation. Your information will be destroyed after your number is verified.
Five documents or datasets may be submitted with applications to show 2024 projects, although we require at least one Excel document. Submitted data will be verified with state interconnection records and utility records. We will use context clues if your submitted completion date doesn’t exactly match official records. We have the right to remove companies from our list if we feel they have exaggerated numbers or cannot adhere to our data request.
Please format your Excel documents to at least show these specific data columns (yellow storage columns are only required if wanting to be included on our Solar + Storage Installer List):
PLEASE submit your data as closely to this example as possible. We require state and market distinctions.
What supplemental information is requested on the application? (NEW details for 2025)
To improve the public’s understanding of what makes a “top” solar contractor, Solar Power World is exploring additional information to gather to assess a company’s performance standards. In 2025, we are requesting companies provide their OSHA Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR), as verified by OSHA Form 300A. This recorded incident rating would allow readers to assess a company’s health and safety standards. A company’s TRIR rate would not affect their standing or position on the main Top Solar Contractors List but would provide an additional way to analyze companies on the list.
This is an optional application question in 2025, and Solar Power World will assess the data gathered in 2025 to determine how to move forward on future Top Solar Contractors campaigns. We will use the information to aid our editorial coverage and industry understanding.
When will the 2025 Top Solar Contractors List be published?
The 2025 list is will be revealed in late July 2025.
Where can I see previous Top Solar Contractors Lists?
Previous lists are available on the Solar Power World website. Here are the lists for 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013 and 2012.
Will there be a Top Solar Contractors Gala in 2025?
Kind of! We will continue the tradition of holding a virtual Gala in July 2025, and we will host an in-person happy hour at RE+ in Las Vegas in September. Further information about our Top Solar Contractors celebrations will be announced as we get nearer publication date.
I have a question that wasn’t answered.
That’s OK! Send us an email at topsolarcontractors@wtwhmedia.com.