⬅ # 1196 Alejandro Santo Domingo|# 1198 Maren Otto ➡

# 1197 Li Zhenguo 

$2.79B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
$31.0M (1.11%)

# 1197 Li Zhenguo 

$2.79B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/25/2024
$31.0M (1.11%)
OccupationFounder, LONGi Green Energy Technology
Source of WealthSolar Wafers And Modules
Age56
ResidenceXi'an, China
Marital StatusMarried
Age-Adjusted Net Worth$3.66B
Li Zhenguo
Li Zhenguo
China
Net worth: $2.79B

Self-Made Score 

Wealth History

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Biography

Overview

Li Zhenguo is a Chinese billionaire and the founder of LONGi Green Energy Technology, a leading manufacturer of solar modules.
He began his career at a state-owned semiconductor factory before venturing into entrepreneurship in the 1990s.
In 2000, Li co-founded Longi with two college friends, initially focusing on supplying reprocessed silicon materials before transitioning to solar products.
Longi has since grown into one of the world's largest monocrystalline silicon solar makers, with operations spanning across China, Malaysia, and Vietnam, employing over 60,000 people.
In 2023, the company announced plans to raise $2.8 billion through an offering in Switzerland, reflecting its global expansion and market dominance.

Early Life and Education

Li Zhenguo was born on January 5, 1968.
He graduated from Lanzhou University.
His early career involved working at Huashan Semiconductor Materials Factory and later serving as the operating director of Shanxi Wenxi Xinda Electronic Parts Factory.
Li also held positions such as the director of the crystal base at Xi'an University of Technology factory and the general manager of Xi'an Lijing Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.

Entrepreneurial Journey

In 2000, Li Zhenguo founded LONGi Green Energy Technology Co. Ltd., originally named Xi'an LONGi Silicon Materials Corporation.
The company initially focused on supplying reprocessed silicon materials before shifting its focus to solar products.
Li co-founded Longi with two classmates from Lanzhou University and his wife, Li Xiyan.
LONGi has grown rapidly to become the world's largest manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon wafers, listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
The company's acquisition of LERRI Solar in 2014 and subsequent strategic expansions have solidified its position in the industry.
In 2021, LONGi announced plans for overseas manufacturing plants in India, Saudi Arabia, and the US.

Business Expansion and Technological Advancements

LONGi has continuously innovated in solar technology, achieving industry records in solar efficiency multiple times.
The company's subsidiary, LONGi Solar, achieved a record 23.6% conversion efficiency with its P-type monocrystalline PERC solar cells.
In 2017, LONGi reported a record bifaciality reading of 82.15% for its 'Hi-MO2' mono PERC bifacial module.
LONGi's strategic plan aims to triple its capacity to produce monocrystalline ingots and wafers to 45 GW by 2020.
The company's revenue has experienced exponential growth, reaching approximately US$1.67 billion in 2016, a nearly 94% increase over the previous fiscal year.
LONGi has expanded its manufacturing presence globally, with plants in Mainland China, India, and Malaysia, as well as acquisitions of production facilities, including from American manufacturer SunEdison.

Controversies and Regulatory Issues

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce ruled that LONGi's subsidiary, Vina Solar, was circumventing tariffs for Chinese-made products.
In April 2024, the European Commission launched an investigation into LONGi's German subsidiary, focusing on market-distorting subsidies.

Products

LONGi specializes in manufacturing P/N-type Mono-crystalline silicon wafers and ingots, along with bifacial solar cells.
The company's products are known for their high efficiency and innovative technologies, contributing to its industry leadership.

How long would it take you to become as rich as Li Zhenguo?

If you started with $10,000 and invested an additional $500 each month at a 44.11% CAGR, it would take you 5 years to reach Li Zhenguo's net worth of $2.79B.

Is this realistic? It depends how closely the VIX-TA-Macro Advanced model performs to its history in the future. Since Grizzly Bulls launched on January 1, 2022, it's returned 52.22% compared to 16.62% for the S&P 500 benchmark.

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Li Zhenguo is very wealthy, but what's stopping you from reaching that same level of success? As summarized in our five fundamental rules to wealth building, becoming wealthy in a modern capitalist economy is not complicated. There's actually only three variables:

  1. Your starting capital
  2. Your earnings after expenses
  3. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of your savings

Most people start with zero or very little, so if you weren't born into wealth, don't fret! The majority of the fortunate folks listed in our Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index came from middle class or lower backgrounds. The most distinguishing characteristic of the group is their ability to consistently earn a high CAGR on their savings.

Every billionaire has a unique strategy to achieve high CAGR. For Li Zhenguo, Solar Wafers And Modules is the primary source. Whether you choose to invest your savings in your own businesses or the businesses of others is not as important. The salient piece of the puzzle is ensuring that your hard-earned savings are generating sufficient CAGR to reach your long term goals.

Most people simply invest their money in index funds and call it a day. There's nothing wrong with this approach, but it guarantees relative mediocrity. To achieve greatness, you need to invest your money to earn higher than average returns. In the long run, better investors will always finish ahead of better earners.

Source: Grizzly Bulls reporting

Methodology: Grizzly Bulls' Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world's billionaires and richest people. Grizzly Bulls strives to provide the most accurate net worth calculations available. We pull data from public equity markets, SEC filings, public real estate records, and other reputable sources.

The index is dynamic and updates daily at the close of U.S. stock market trading based on changes in the markets, economy, and updates to Grizzly Bulls' proprietary algorithm of personal wealth calculation. Stakes in public companies are tracked daily based on the relevant closing prices of the underlying securities. Additionally, stakes in private companies, cash, real estate, and other less easily valued assets are updated periodically through careful analysis of insider transactions, comparable public company sales / EBITDA multiples, etc.

Edited by: Lee Bailey