For many investors, solar stocks are a surprising pocket of strength in U.S. markets. After all, the secretary of energy under the Trump administration is a former fracking executive, and Congress has eliminated many incentives in the last year or so.
But looking at the $2.3 billion Invesco Solar ETF (ticker: ) and its return of 73% over the past 12 months, the sector is going strong. What’s more, persistent upward pressure on oil prices due to the war in Iran has created an incentive for alternative energy sources that could continue to feed a tailwind for solar stocks going forward.
Here you’ll find several leading solar companies with a variety of market capitalizations that represent some of the most interesting plays out there — both at home and overseas:
| Solar Stock | Market Cap | Focus |
| Array Technologies Inc. () | $1.1 billion | Specialized mechanical hardware and software for tracking solar movement |
| Enphase Energy Inc. () | $6.3 billion | Integrated residential microinverters, battery storage and home energy software |
| First Solar Inc. () | $25.8 billion | Thin-film photovoltaic modules for utility-scale projects |
| JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. () | $859.7 million | Global solar shipments backed by massive Chinese manufacturing capacity |
| NextPower Inc. () | $16.9 billion | Utility-scale tracking systems and integrated battery storage technologies |
Array Technologies Inc. ()
Array provides technology solutions that ensure maximum exposure for solar panels by tracking the sun as it moves across the sky. This includes both physical hardware as well as proprietary software such as its OmniTrack and SmarTrack offerings. It’s a very specialized business, and one that is smaller than some of the entrenched panel manufacturers on this list, but it is growing fast. Specifically, revenue hit about $920 million in fiscal 2024 and is forecast to top $1.4 billion in fiscal 2026 and then $1.6 billion in FY2027. ARRY represents the kind of fast-growing secondary play on solar that many investors love, but keep in mind that it may be more volatile than entrenched players at the top of the food chain.
Enphase Energy Inc. ()
A unique solar play, Enphase is best known for pioneering microinverter systems for residential solar installations. These microinverters optimize power production at the individual panel level, improving performance and reliability to make solar power more financially attractive on a small scale. The company has also expanded beyond solar hardware to include , energy management software and electric vehicle charging solutions. Enphase’s integrated home energy ecosystem allows homeowners to generate, store, monitor and manage electricity through a unified platform — making it a one-stop shop for households that want to use solar for energy security, price certainty or a little bit of both.
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First Solar Inc. ()
First Solar is a leading American solar manufacturer specializing in thin-film photovoltaic modules. The company focuses primarily on large-scale solar projects for utilities, independent power producers and commercial customers — making it much more stable than some solar companies that rely on home installation trends. Headquartered in Arizona, First Solar has invested heavily in domestic manufacturing. In fact, the stock has jumped more than 70% in the last year, in part because of growing interest in U.S.-made renewable energy products that are free from global supply chain disruptions or . Its vertically integrated approach and large scale make it one of the most prominent solar companies in North America and a natural domestic choice for those who want to prioritize the U.S. solar sector over major players in Asia.
JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. ()
JinkoSolar is a solar integration firm that services solar power generation projects and energy storage systems across China, but also worldwide. The firm boasts customers from Australia to the Middle East and even the U.S. At the end of 2025, the firm’s total energy capacity of almost 340 gigawatts across its solar cells, modules and related technology made it the global leader in solar shipments. A firm with close ties to the government in Beijing, JKS is a risky play in the solar sector. Shares are actually down over the last year compared with big winners in the U.S. However, the company strong growth prospects, and it could be a way to get in on the ground floor of alternative energy.
NextPower Inc. ()
A stock that has outperformed even its high-flying peers, NextPower has surged almost 90% in the last year thanks to its dominant position in utility-scale solar infrastructure and energy technology. Beyond the megatrend of renewable energy as a way to cut costs and reduce emissions, the company has seen particular interest due to power-hungry , which are driving demand for solar-plus-storage plants. With expertise spanning advanced structural engineering, smart-tracking software and newly integrated utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS), NextPower offers an inclusive platform that energy developers need to scale up capacity quickly.
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Update 06/26/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
