The only available effective climate action is about 100 companies reducing 71% of emissions. We know 100 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 71% of fossil fuel emissions. Emissions need to stop. Society needs to stop burning rocks. The disruption, according to Tony Seba of RethinkX is from 8 different technologies. The 4 technologies that enable the energy disruptions are:
- Solar panels to capture energy
- Wind turbines to capture energy
- Batteries to store energy
- Electric Vehicles for transport
- AI and Smart Grids to adapt to dispatchable energy.
Disruption by Solar and Batteries
Bill Nussey of Freeing Energy says the disruption is from centralised power generation to solar + battery. Many fail to recognise the renewable energy transition is from corporate ownership to individual ownership, not just from centralised to localised.
Change from Primary Energy to Useful Energy
Part of this transition is energy efficiency. Fossil fuel is inefficient. Only about 50% of energy is needed with electrification. Estimates of renewable energy needs are overstated.
Which 100 Companies Reducing 71% of Emissions
Solar Companies- Generating Emission-Free Electricity
| Company | Country of Headquarters | Approximate Capacity (2022/2023) (GW) | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. | China | 54.38 | https://www.jinkosolar.com/ |
| Canadian Solar Inc. | Canada | 29.38 | https://www.canadiansolar.com/ |
| LONGi Solar Technology Co., Ltd. | China | 39.72 | https://www.longi.com/ |
| JA Solar Holdings Co., Ltd. | China | 42.2 | https://www.jasolar.com/html/en/ |
| First Solar, Inc. | United States | 7.2 | https://www.firstsolar.com/ |
| Hanwha Q CELLS Co., Ltd. | South Korea | 22.6 | https://us.qcells.com/ |
| Trina Solar Limited | China | 50.8 | https://www.trinasolar.com/us |
| SunPower Corporation | United States | 5.9 | https://us.sunpower.com/ |
| Sunrun Inc. | United States | N/A (Solar installer, not manufacturer) | https://www.sunrun.com/ |
| Enphase Energy, Inc. | United States | N/A (Microinverter manufacturer) | https://enphase.com/ |
| SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. | United States | N/A (Smart inverter manufacturer) | https://www.solaredge.com/us/ |
| SMA Solar Technology AG | Germany | N/A (Inverter manufacturer) | https://www.sma.de/en/ |
| Meyer Burger Technology AG | Switzerland | 1.4 | https://www.meyerburger.com/en-us/ |
| AU Optronics Corp. | Taiwan | 4.5 | https://www.auo.com/ |
| CSUN (ChengSi New Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd.) | China | 8 | https://www.csunsolartech.com/ |
| Shunfeng International Clean Energy Limited | China | 4 | https://www.sf-international.com/ |
| Talesun Solar Co., Ltd. | China | 8.5 | https://www.talesun-solar.com/ |
| Total | 278.58 |
“N/A” indicates companies that manufacture other solar components besides panels.
Wind Turbine Companies- Generating Emission-Free Electricity
| Company | Country | Installed Capacity (2014-2023) (GW) | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestas Wind Systems A/S | Denmark | 93.4 | https://www.vestas.com/en |
| Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy | Spain | 88.3 | https://www.siemensgamesa.com/en-gb |
| Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd. | China | 78.1 | https://www.goldwind.com.cn/en/ |
| Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd. | China | 67.2 | https://en.myse.com.cn/ |
| GE Renewable Energy | United States | 64.5 | https://www.gerenewableenergy.com/ |
| Enercon GmbH | Germany | 58.4 | https://www.enercon.de/en/ |
| Nordex SE | Germany | 54.2 | https://www.nordex-group.com/en/ |
| Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd. | China | 48.3 | https://en.sec.com.cn/ |
| Envision Group | China | 45.1 | https://envision-group.com/ |
| CSIC Haizhuang Heavy Machinery Co., Ltd. | China | 42.7 | https://english.csichz.com/ |
| Total | 640.2 |
GWEC Global Wind Report 2023
Company websites
Notes:
Installed capacity figures are based on new installations and may not reflect total market share.
This table is not an exhaustive list of all wind turbine manufacturers.
Top Battery Companies Enabling Storage
Storage of dispatchable renewable energy is a key technology enabler. The technology to change from synchronous production to asynchronous demand has enabled intermittent capture of electricity from wind and solar to met customer demand.
We grow wheat, harvest it and store in silos for a year. But we eat bread daily. Silos provide storage.
Rain falls in the dam. We use it for drinking water when we need to. Dams, groundwater provide storage
Electricity has been for 120 year synchronous. Use it or lose it. But batteries that can store daily or monthly amounts are now possible.
| Company | Country | Installed Capacity (2014-2023) (GWh) | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) | China | 580 | https://www.catl.com/en/ |
| BYD Company Ltd. | China | 480 | https://www.byd.com/en/ |
| LG Chem | South Korea | 320 | https://www.lgchem.com/eng/ |
| Panasonic Corporation | Japan | 280 | https://global.panasonic.com/global/ |
| Samsung SDI | South Korea | 220 | https://www.samsung.com/us/semiconductor/global/ |
| SK Innovation (formerly SK-On) | South Korea | 180 | [[invalid URL removed]]([invalid URL removed]) |
| Tesla, Inc. | United States | 160 | https://www.tesla.com/ |
| Coslight | China | 140 | https://www.coslight.com/en/ |
| AESC Corporation | United States | 120 | https://www.aesc.com/ |
| Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd. | China | 100 | https://www.sunwoda.com/en/ |
| Total Batteries | 2580 |
Some companies may focus on different battery types or market segments, making direct comparisons challenging.
This table does not represent a definitive ranking of battery manufacturers, as rankings can vary depending on criteria like specific battery chemistries or regional focus.
Rate of Change
Various organisations predict when fossil fuel demand will fall, emissions stop rising and start falling. The IEA in their predictions from 1994 through to 2016 have a view. RMI has another.
Electric Vehicle Manufacturers
These manufacturers are leading the change to eliminating emissions from the transport sector.
| Company | Country | Total Electric Cars Sold (2014-2023) (Million Units) | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla, Inc. | United States | 3.5 | https://www.tesla.com/ |
| SAIC Motor | China | 2.2 | https://www.saicmotor.com/en/ |
| Volkswagen Group | Germany | 2 | https://www.volkswagenag.com/en.html |
| Stellantis | Netherlands | 1.8 | https://www.stellantis.com/en |
| General Motors | United States | 1.7 | https://www.gm.com/ |
| Hyundai Motor Group | South Korea | 1.6 | https://www.hyundai.com/worldwide/en |
| Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi Alliance | France | 1.5 | https://www.nissan-global.com/EN/ |
| Ford Motor Company | United States | 1.4 | https://www.ford.com/ |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | Japan | 1.3 | https://global.honda.com/ |
| BMW Group | Germany | 0.9 | [[invalid URL removed]]([invalid URL removed]) |
| Total vehicles | 17.9 |
JATO Dynamics
EV Sales
IHS Markit
Notes:
Sales figures are estimates and may vary depending on the source.
This table only includes pure electric car sales and excludes hybrid electric vehicles.
More Reading
- RMI Global Energy Transformation Guide: Electricity 2023 https://rmi.org/global-energy-transformation-guide/
- RMI X-Change: Electricity https://rmi.org/insight/x-change-electricity/
