How we verify every company on SolarDirectory.
SolarDirectory is editorial, not pay-to-play. Every listing — Listed, Verified or Premium Partner — passes the same publicly-documented checks. No company can buy a higher tier. This page is the playbook.
Trust, earned in increments
Every company starts at Listed. Tiers stack — Verified inherits all Listed checks, Premium Partner inherits Verified. Companies move up only when they meet the next set of public criteria.
Listed
Basic discovery profile, created from public data or claimed by the company. No editorial endorsement.
- ✓ Company exists in a public registry
- ✓ Active website with SSL certificate
- ✓ Category & country tagged
- — VAT not yet verified
- — Insurance not on file
- — No editorial review
Verified
Editorial team has confirmed identity, registration and at least one live customer. Document-backed.
- ✓ Everything in Listed, plus:
- ✓ VAT cross-checked via VIES (EU)
- ✓ Commercial register filing reviewed
- ✓ Director / officer identity confirmed
- ✓ 1+ verifiable customer reference
- ✓ Editorial review & copy edit
Premium Partner
Highest credibility tier. Independently checked insurance, references and certifications. Earned, never sold.
- ✓ Everything in Verified, plus:
- ✓ Liability insurance on file
- ✓ 3+ independent client references
- ✓ ISO 9001 or equivalent quality cert
- ✓ Editorial inspection
- ✓ Re-checked every 12 months
From submission to badge
Submission & intake
Company submits via the Add Your Company form, or claims an auto-generated profile. We log company name, registered address and self-declared category.
Public registry sweep
Cross-check across VIES (EU VAT), national commercial registers (Handelsregister, KvK, Mercantile Register, etc.) and OpenCorporates. Rejected if registration is dissolved or inactive.
Document & identity review
We request certificate of incorporation, current insurance certificate, officer ID and recent invoices to confirm trading activity. Documents are stored encrypted, never published.
Reference & review check
Declared customers are contacted. Independent search for negative press, regulatory actions and review patterns. Notes are attached to the company file.
Inspection (Premium)
For the Premium Partner tier: a closer editorial inspection of the company's operations, certifications and staff.
Tier assignment & publication
The verification outcome is published on the company profile with the badge. Companies can appeal a tier decision; appeals are reviewed independently.
What we actually look at
No black box. Every check, source and rejection criterion — written down.
01 Identity & registration
- ✓ Legal name matches commercial register
- ✓ Registered address is a real street address
- ✓ Company incorporated for ≥ 12 months
- ✓ At least one director identifiable
- ✓ Status: Active (not dissolved or struck off)
02 Trading activity
- ✓ Active website with SSL, recently updated
- ✓ Verifiable past projects
- ✓ Recent invoice or contract sample
- ✓ VAT returns filed (Premium)
- ✓ Headcount corroborated by LinkedIn
03 Insurance & financial
- ✓ Public liability insurance on file
- ✓ Insurance certificate dated within 12 months
- ✓ No insolvency proceedings on record
- ✓ Filed accounts available (Premium)
- ✓ Basic financial sanity check (Premium)
04 Quality & certifications
- ✓ Country-specific compliance (VDE 4105, MCS, etc.)
- ✓ ISO 9001 or sector QMS (Premium)
- ✓ Manufacturer certifications match issuer records
- ✓ Trade body membership where applicable
- ✓ Health & safety certification
05 Customer evidence
- ✓ Named customer references
- ✓ References reached directly
- ✓ No pattern of fake reviews
- ✓ Reasonable response rate to quote requests
- ✓ No unresolved regulator complaints
06 Editorial & ongoing
- ✓ Editorial review of all profile copy
- ✓ Photography reflects actual work
- ✓ Re-check every 12 months
- ✓ Companies notified before any downgrade
- ✓ Public revision log on every profile
No company can buy a higher tier
From the editorial team
“If we let one company buy its way in, the badge means nothing for every other company. We hold the line because the line is the entire product.”
Cross-referenced, never invented
The EU Commission's database for cross-border VAT validation across member states.
Federated access to national commercial registers — Handelsregister (DE), KvK (NL), Mercantile Register (ES), etc.
A large open database of company information, used for cross-jurisdiction checks and historical filings.
Independent certification bodies — we confirm ISO and type-approval certificates against issuer records.
Independent assurance for utility-scale and industrial projects, used to validate EPC capability claims.
Headcount and director identity — self-declared employee counts are compared against tracked counts.
UK-specific installer accreditation, expected for UK Verified or Premium installer listings.
German solar industry association — membership cross-checked for German installers and EPCs.
Spain's national PV association — used as a credential signal for Spanish companies.
Common questions
Can a company pay to become a Premium Partner?expand_more
How often are Premium Partners re-checked?expand_more
What happens if a verified company breaches standards?expand_more
Why are some companies listed without being claimed?expand_more
Can buyers report inaccuracies?expand_more
Where can I read the full editorial policy?expand_more
Trust, audited.
3,515 European solar companies · cross-checked against EU registries.