Historically, tumultuous times offer some of the best opportunities to buy stocks, and the market's recent mess surely qualifies. There's much debate about which companies hold the best prospects, but many investors think solar cell maker Canadian Solar (NASDAQ:CSIQ) is one of them.

In our Motley Fool CAPS community, nearly 88% of the 1,114 investors rating the company are bullish, so there's no shortage of reasons why Canadian Solar will thrive, three of which I've highlighted below.

But here at The Motley Fool, we're all for looking at both the good and bad sides of an investment. Once you're done with this article, you can read the case against two-star Canadian Solar, weigh in with your own comments below, or rate Canadian Solar yourself in CAPS.

1. Global expansion
Europe continued to be Canadian Solar's most important market in terms of sales in the second quarter, but looking ahead, the company sees increasing opportunity in other parts of the world. It strengthened its relationship with LG to build solar power projects in South Korea, and also set up a subsidiary in Japan to begin tapping that market. And CAPS members like the company's growing presence in China, where others like LDK Solar (NYSE:LDK), First Solar (NASDAQ:FSLR), and Evergreen Solar (NASDAQ:ESLR) have been looking to grow.

2. Gaining market share
Big growth in orders in its second quarter helped Canadian Solar gain market share over a crowded field of competitors. Despite challenging market conditions in an uncertain environment that has peer Suntech Power (NYSE:STP) lowering its shipping guidance, Canadian Solar expects the momentum to continue and raised its own shipment outlook for the full year.

3. Improving efficiency
While JA Solar (NASDAQ:JASO) and ReneSola (NYSE:SOL) struggled with weak margins in the second quarter, Canadian Solar reported a solid second quarter with big improvement to its margins over the previous quarter. It was helped by a lean operating structure, significantly reduced costs, and a huge uptick in orders, which the company attributes to its differentiation as an efficient and competitively priced supplier.

To see details of what CAPS members are saying now about Canadian Solar, just click on over to Motley Fool CAPS and have a look, or add your thoughts directly to this story in the comments box below.

And don't forget to check out the CAPS clouds hanging over Canadian Solar's stock.

Always looking ahead, the Motley Fool Rule Breakers service has already recommended several alternative energy stocks poised to prosper. To see what other rule-breaking stocks David Gardner is picking today, take a free 30-day trial.

Fool contributor Dave Mock now has three good reasons for steering clear of potato salad that has been sitting out for more than an hour. He owns no shares of companies mentioned here. First Solar and Suntech Power Holdings are Rule Breakers selections. The Fool's disclosure policy thought it was a shoo-in for the Nobel Peace Prize, but is determined to move on.