SunPower to cut up to 160 jobs amidst restructuring

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image: SunPower.

US solar firm SunPower is to cut up to 160 jobs as part of a restructuring plan following the spin off of its manufacturing operations.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing made on 27 December 2019, SunPower said it was adopting a restructuring plan to “realign and optimise” its workforce in the wake of its decision to separate its solar panel manufacturing business into a separate listed entity, dubbed Maxeon Solar.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

That decision was confirmed in mid-November 2019, however SunPower has now revealed that it will cost up to non-manufacturing 160 jobs, with affected employees to leave over the course of the next 12 – 18 months.

Between 65 and 70 jobs will be lost from its SunPower Technologies business units. Those affected have “largely” been informed, the company said, and are expected to leave the company after the spin off of Maxeon completes.

A further 80 to 90 employees are to leave SunPower’s Energy Services business between Q4 FY 2019 and the first half of 2020 as it “hones its focus on distributed generation, storage and energy services”.

SunPower said the number of layoffs constitutes around 3% of its entire global workforce.

The total cost of the restructuring is expected to fall between US$16 million and US$22 million, comprising mainly of severance and retention benefits of around US$11 million each.

SunPower has incurred a string of net losses in recent years as revenues have almost halved from the US$3.027 billion recorded in 2014 to between US$1.5 – 1.7 billion over the past four years.

This has culminated in net losses in each of the last four years, ranging from US$299 million in 2016 to US$929 million in 2017.

 The high-efficiency PV module maker said in October 2018 that it would sell assets and increase its loans in order to avoid bankruptcy during the following year, resulting in the divestment of leased assets to Goldman Sachs.

25 November 2025
Warsaw, Poland
Large Scale Solar Central and Eastern Europe continues to be the place to leverage a network that has been made over more than 10 years, to build critical partnerships to develop solar projects throughout the region.

Read Next

July 15, 2025
Indian renewable energy company SAEL Industries is developing a 5GW solar cell and 5GW module manufacturing facility in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
July 14, 2025
Elements Green has secured €80 million (US$93.5 million) in financing from Danish investment firm Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP).
July 14, 2025
OpenSolar has launched a new model to help US rooftop solar installers reduce costs and thrive despite the loss of the 30% IRA tax credit.
July 10, 2025
UbiQD has signed a supply agreement with First Solar to supply its fluorescent quantum dot technology for use in the latter’s PV panels.
July 9, 2025
Caelux has finished the first sale of its perovskite glass, which will be paired with a silicon module developed by a 'reputable manufacturer'.
July 9, 2025
Indian solar water pump and motor manufacturer Shakti Pumps has successfully raised INR2.9 billion (US$34.1 million) to build a solar cell and module manufacturing plant.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK