A.B. Energy vs Thornova - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Both brands are closely matched on catalog size, efficiency and bifacial share - the choice comes down to local availability, price and specific model features.
Both catalogues are read from the manufacturers' own datasheets. A brand is not scored against the market here, only against the other brand on this page.
The two companies
ABO Energy is a renewable energy company that develops and constructs renewable energy projects, focusing on wind, solar, and storage facilities. They offer turnkey solutions and have connected several gigawatts of nominal output to the grid. The company is active internationally and is committed to driving the energy...
- Founded
- 1996
- Headquarters
- Wiesbaden, Germany
- Employees
- 1,400
Thornova Solar (formerly Sunova Solar) is a Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer headquartered in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, specializing in high-efficiency TOPCon and PERC bifacial solar modules. The company operates manufacturing facilities in China and Indonesia with a combined module capacity of 6.5 GW and cell capacity...
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Wuxi, China
- Annual capacity
- 5-10 GW/year
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
Catalogue against catalogue
An average over a catalogue describes the range a manufacturer publishes, not the module you would buy. A brand with two flagship panels and eighty older ones averages worse than one that has retired its back catalogue.
What each of them builds
Written summary
Thornova Solar - formerly operating under the Sunova Solar brand - is a Chinese-origin manufacturer with production facilities in China and Indonesia. The company has been listed as a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Tier 1 module manufacturer since August 2023, a bankability credential it has maintained consistently. Independent analysts at Wood Mackenzie ranked it 13th among more than 38 evaluated global manufacturers in H1 2024, and its Tangra series module earned a Kiwa PVEL 2025 Top Performer designation. Reported annual production capacity stands in the range of 6.5 to 7.5 GW. A.B. Energy, by contrast, returns no credible results as a solar photovoltaic module manufacturer through any of the standard industry sources - pv-magazine, BNEF lists, PV Tech, SolarReviews, or EnfSolar - suggesting it is either a very early-stage brand, a regional reseller operating under a trade name, or a company whose primary business lies elsewhere (an Italian entity of the same name focuses on gas cogeneration). No Tier 1 or bankability record could be located.
Thornova's confirmed product lineup spans N-type TOPCon bifacial modules from roughly 440 W up to 720 W G12 formats, covering residential rooftop, commercial rooftop, and utility-scale ground-mount applications. The all-black 440 W variant targets premium residential aesthetics, while the large-format G12 modules are engineered explicitly for utility projects where cost-per-watt and high-density racking matter most. Structural ratings - wind loads to 5,000 Pa and snow loads to 8,100 Pa - position the panels as suitable for demanding climates. Because no verified product data was located for A.B. Energy, any parallel description of its technology mix or segment focus would be speculation.
For a typical buyer in 2025 or 2026, Thornova is the only option here with a verifiable track record: confirmed BNEF bankability, independent test-lab recognition, and a distributed supply chain. A.B. Energy cannot be recommended without further verification of its corporate identity, certifications, and product portfolio. Buyers encountering that brand should request IEC certification documentation and ask the supplier to confirm whether the manufacturer appears on any current BNEF or Infolink Tier 1 list before committing.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-23
Other brand comparisons
Comparisons are computed from manufacturer datasheets held in the ComparePV database and may not reflect a brand's complete current lineup. Nothing on this page is paid placement.