Gao Jifan founded Trina Solar in the late 1990s after technical training and an earlier chemicals venture, then led it into one of the world's major photovoltaic manufacturers. [1][2][3]
Scientific training led to an early industrial venture
Gao studied chemistry at Nanjing University and physical chemistry at Jilin University. Trina Solar's management biography says he founded the company after being inspired by the Kyoto Protocol and the U.S. Million Solar Roofs Initiative. [2][1]
Historical company filings show Gao had already founded and led a fine-chemicals factory from 1992 through 1997 before creating Trina Solar. That record points to an entrepreneurial career before the solar company rather than an inherited industrial platform. [2][3]
Forbes identifies Gao as Trina Solar's founder, chairman and chief executive and classifies his solar-equipment fortune as self-made. The company was founded in 1997 and became one of China's early large photovoltaic manufacturers. [1][3]
Trina Solar scaled from startup to global manufacturer
Trina expanded from photovoltaic manufacturing into energy storage, system solutions and digital energy services, with manufacturing and commercial operations across numerous countries. The company first listed in New York and later returned to China's STAR Market. [1][3]
Gao's wealth is tied directly to a company he founded and led through decades of industry growth. The reviewed sources identify no inherited business base and support the strongest self-made classification. [1][2][3]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Oct 14, 2026.
- Gao Jifan & family · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- Executive Team · Trina Solar
- About Trinasolar · Trina Solar
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