SunEdison, Inc.

SunEdison, Inc., originally established as Monsanto Electronic Materials Company in 1959, evolved into one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies before its bankruptcy in 2016. Headquartered in Maryland Heights, Missouri (with a notable presence previously at 600 Clipper Drive, Belmont, CA), SunEdison developed a global footprint by manufacturing high-purity polysilicon materials used for semiconductors as well as producing silicon wafers for photovoltaic applications.
The company expanded aggressively into renewable energy development—building utility-scale solar power plants worldwide—and diversified further with its acquisition of First Wind in 2014 to become a major player in both wind and solar sectors. SunEdison's offerings included everything from PV module manufacturing to full EPC (engineering-procurement-construction) services for large-scale projects.
At its peak around 2015–16, SunEdison was recognized as one of the largest renewable energy developers globally with ambitions to bring electricity access to underserved communities worldwide through initiatives like SunEdison Social Innovations. However, rapid expansion led to financial overextension; burdened by more than $11 billion in debt after failed acquisitions such as Vivint Solar, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2016. The company emerged from bankruptcy restructured but significantly reduced in scale.
Today’s operations are limited compared to its former scope but continue under private ownership focused on managing remaining assets—including intellectual property—and select ongoing business activities.