Trina Solar was founded in 1997 in Changzhou, China, by Gao Jifan, a former Chinese Academy of Sciences engineer. The company originally worked as a solar system installer before moving into manufacturing its own cells and modules, a shift that came from seeing firsthand where the technology installers were working with fell short.

That engineering background shaped the rest of the company. Trina Solar became vertically integrated, producing its own silicon ingots, wafers, cells and finished panels rather than buying in components from third party suppliers and assembling them under its own name.

Trina Solar has set 18 independently verified world records for solar cell and panel efficiency, tested by third parties such as TÜV Rheinland rather than relying on its own claims. That focus on measurable performance has run alongside the company's growth since it was founded, rather than being a marketing angle added later.

The company has also been a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange for close to two decades, putting its financial position under public market scrutiny. Manufacturing has expanded well beyond China in that time too, with Trina Solar operating production facilities in countries including Thailand, Vietnam and the United States.