SunPower Inc.
SunPower Corporation is an American provider of photovoltaic solar energy generation systems and battery energy storage products, primarily for residential customers. The company, headquartered in San Jose, California, was founded in 1985 by Richard Swanson, an electrical engineering professor from Stanford University. Cypress Semiconductor bought a majority interest in the company in 2002, growing it quickly until SunPower went public in 2005. TotalEnergies, a French energy and oil company purchased a controlling interest in SunPower for US$1.37 billion in 2011 but disengaged progressively until reaching 32.5%.
Basic company information
Each field links to its source. Financial figures retain their reporting periods; background references are identified in the source list.
- Business sectors
- photovoltaics [1]
- Company / filing name
- SunPower Inc. [2]
- Headquarters location
- San Jose [1]
- Founded
- 1985 [1]
- Legal form
- Delaware corporation [1]
- Founders
- Richard Swanson [1]
- Official website
- us.sunpower.com ↗ [1]
- Employees
- 8,309 · reported year 2016 [1]
- ISIN (reported securities)
- US8676524064 [1]
- CIK
- 1838987 [2]
- Country in background record
- United States [1]
- Symbols / exchanges
- SPWR (Nasdaq), SPWRW (Nasdaq) [2]
Company positioning and business
SunPower Corporation is an American provider of photovoltaic solar energy generation systems and battery energy storage products, primarily for residential customers. The company, headquartered in San Jose, California, was founded in 1985 by Richard Swanson, an electrical engineering professor from Stanford University. Cypress Semiconductor bought a majority interest in the company in 2002, growing it quickly until SunPower went public in 2005. TotalEnergies, a French energy and oil company purchased a controlling interest in SunPower for US$1.37 billion in 2011 but disengaged progressively until reaching 32.5%. [3]
The company previously developed and manufactured photovoltaic panels, before spinning off that part of its business in 2020 as Maxeon Solar Technologies. The company had also previously marketed its products to commercial and industrial customers before agreeing to sell that business line to TotalEnergies in February 2022. [3]
SunPower filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2024. Nasdaq trading was suspended on 16 Aug 2024. Sunpower sold several of its assets to Complete Solaria. [3]
Background text: Wikipedia contributors, SunPower. Selected introductory paragraphs, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Official filing data is cited separately.
Understanding company scale
Employees: 8,309 · reported year 2016. [1]
Financial year, securities and disclosures
Listed securities: SPWR (Nasdaq), SPWRW (Nasdaq). Multiple symbols may represent different share classes or securities of the same registrant. [2]
History and key events
Founding / inception date recorded in Wikidata. [1]
Financial results and regulatory disclosures
No individual financial documents have been indexed yet. Open the source to consult company disclosures. [2]
Related entities and concepts
Frequently asked questions
When was SunPower Inc. founded?
Founded: 1985. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Where is the headquarters of SunPower Inc.?
Headquarters location: San Jose. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Which business sectors are recorded for SunPower Inc.?
Business sectors: photovoltaics. The linked source provides the background record. [1]
Sources and review dates
- Wikidata — company background record (CC0) ↗
- Company identity and profile data ↗
- Wikipedia contributors — SunPower (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
Reviewed 23 October 2026. Financial periods and historical event dates are shown separately. Figures reflect their stated source dates; this page is not a live quote or investment recommendation.