Suntech Power has reached a major milestone: production and delivery of more than 1 gigawatt of solar panels. The company is one of the first in the world to achieve this feat. Globally, nearly 7GW of Suntech solar panels have been shipped to more than 1,000 customers in 80 countries. In total, Suntech solar panels have the ability to generate close to 9 terrawatt hours of electricity per year.

How much power is that? According to the CIA World Factbook, enough energy to cover the all the power needs of Costa Rica or Paraguay. As in yes, the entire country.

“This is a great milestone for our team and, most of all, a tribute to our customers – their success is our success. Although it’s a highly-competitive period for solar manufacturers, there’s never been a better time to be a solar customer and that’s what matters most to our industry’s longevity,” said John Lefebvre, President of Suntech America. “Utilities from Arizona to Chile are recognizing solar’s unique value proposition and ability to deliver low-risk, long-term price stability in an energy era defined by fossil fuel price instability. Solar offers a brilliant value proposition today that will only improve with time.”

Founded in 2007 in San Francisco, California, in 2010, Suntech opened a 30MW solar module production facility in Goodyear, Arizona, which has since expanded to 50MW and now runs around-the-clock. Suntech employs about 180 people throughout the Americas and is continuing to grow.