Suntech Power Holdings is the world's largest manufacturer of crystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) modules, which convert light energy into electricity, and is China's largest U.S.-listed solar player by market capitalization.^[1] Suntech's competitive niche is in the middle of the PV supply chain. Based in China, the company has been rapidly expanding in a highly competitive market, taking advantage of low-cost production availability and a high-demand Asian market.

Global demand for renewable energy is one of the main drivers of Suntech's business. Many nations, including China and the U.S., have passed or are in the process of passing legislation that mandates greater use of renewable energy and subsidizes its development. Companies like Suntech are highly dependent on these government subsidies to make their expensive technologies economically viable. However, demand for photovoltaic products has declined as a result of the global economic crisis, and PV projects have found it difficult to obtain cost-effective financing for large scale solar project installations.

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