Footnotes / references Financials as of 1 January 2023[update]. References:[1]
Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. is a Singapore-based company that designs and manufactures photovoltaic panels. The company was previously a division of the American company SunPower. Maxeon was spun off from SunPower in August 2020. Maxeon was the primary provider of solar panels for SunPower through March 2024.[2] Beyond the United States, Maxeon has sales operations in more than 100 countries and has the rights to use the SunPower brand in countries outside the United States.
History
When SunPower spun-off Maxeon in August 2020, the Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor Company invested US$298 million for a 24% interest in Maxeon.[3][4] Chinese technology company TCL later purchased Tianjin Zhonghuan Semiconductor, becoming a major investor in Maxeon. SunPower investor TotalEnergies also kept a significant ownership stake in Maxeon.[1]
In March 2024, Maxeon Solar filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Canadian Solar.[5][6] The alleged infringement was linked to Maxeon's TOPCon solar cell technology.[5][6][7]
Products
Its products are known for being more expensive, but producing energy more efficiently than competing products.[3][8][9][a] Maxeon panels are often used when there is a limited amount of space for the panels, such as on rooftops.[3][b]
Ordinarily, the electrical contacts are on the front of a solar panel, facing the sun.[10] The front of Maxeon's panels channel the light to electrical contacts on the back of the panel, reducing the amount of sunlight that is reflected rather than turned into energy. Hence, Maxeon panels are sought for efficiency and aesthetic reasons. [11]
Notes
^"SunPower panels are known for being the most efficient in the industry, able to convert more of the energy in sunlight into electricity. That can give its panels an advantage for space-constrained installations like rooftops, though they can also be more expensive than rivals’ products." (source: Los Angeles Times) "SunPower has built a reputation as a maker of highly efficient solar panels and charges a premium price for them." (source: GreenTechMedia) "SunPower’s panels, though not the cheapest, are much in demand because they are most efficient at transforming sunlight into energy." (source: Reuters)
^"That can give its panels an advantage for space-constrained installations like rooftops, though they can also be more expensive than rivals’ products."
