Companies in Changzhou, Jiangsu

Trina Solar was founded in 1997 in Changzhou, Jiangsu, by Gao Jifan, an entrepreneur who got his start in the solar industry while it was still a niche — and the company became one of the first Chinese solar manufacturers to build a global brand. It was among the earliest Chinese module makers to sell in Europe and the US, riding the German solar boom of the 2000s and surviving the trade wars that followed. The company makes the full solar product line: high-efficiency modules (its Vertex series is among the industry's best sellers), solar cells, silicon wafers, and increasingly solar trackers and energy storage systems — the balance-of-system products that turn panels into power plants. Its 'Trina Storage' division sells utility-scale battery systems, betting that solar-plus-storage will be the default energy solution. With about 35,000 employees and annual revenue near RMB 100 billion, Trina operates module factories in China, Thailand, Vietnam, and the US — the last built to serve the American market despite tariffs. For the solar industry, Trina is the global veteran — a top-5 module maker for over a decade, known for surviving every cycle the industry has thrown at it, from subsidy cuts to trade wars to the current overcapacity crisis.