---
title: "AE Solar vs Centro Energy - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare AE Solar vs Centro Energy solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-centro-energy"
---

# AE Solar vs Centro Energy

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 13 models). AE Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.43%. AE Solar leans bifacial (63% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | AE Solar | Centro Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Germany |  |
| Headquarters | Gersthofen |  |
| Founded | 2003 |  |
| Employees | 501-1000 |  |
| Annual capacity | 2+ GW/year |  |
| Tier 1 | yes | no |
| Listed |  |  |
| Website | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) |  |

AE Solar is a German Tier 1 manufacturer of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company specializes in producing durable and innovative solar panels with German engineering standards, offering solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications. AE Solar operates in over 100 countries and...


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | AE Solar | Centro Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 646 | 13 | +633 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 670 W | +60 W |
| Avg Power | 489 W | 498 W | +10 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AE Solar | Centro Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.43% | 21.57% | +2.86 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | 20.80% | +0.30 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AE Solar | Centro Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | -0.404%/°C | +0.092 |
| Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 0 (0%) | +63 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | 26.9 yrs | +2.8 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

AE Solar skews to higher efficiency: 9% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | AE Solar | Centro Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 2 (15.4%) |
| 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 5 (38.5%) |
| 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 6 (46.2%) |
| 22-23% | 199 (30.8%) | 0 |
| 23%+ | 60 (9.3%) | 0 |


## Power distribution

Centro Energy offers more 600W+ panels (38% of lineup)


| Power band | AE Solar | Centro Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 3 (23.1%) |
| 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 0 |
| 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 5 (38.5%) |
| 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 5 (38.5%) |
| 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (54%)

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (100%)


| Technology | AE Solar | Centro Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 0 |
| PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 13 (100.0%) |
| Back Contact | 21 (3.3%) | 0 |
| N-type | 17 (2.6%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 9 (1.4%) | 0 |
| HJT | 5 (0.8%) | 0 |


## Top panels, AE Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CME-132BDS-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [CME-132BDS-730W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730w) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [CME-132BDS-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [CME-132-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [CME-132BDS-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [AE CME-132 720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [CME-132BDS-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [AE CME-132-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720-1) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [CME-132-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [CME-132BDS-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Centro Energy


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CE-670M](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-670m) | 670 | 21.6 | -0.400 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [CE-665M](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-665m) | 665 | 21.4 | -0.400 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [CE-660M](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-660m) | 660 | 21.2 | -0.400 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [CE-655M](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-655m) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.400 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [CE-650M](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-650m) | 650 | 20.9 | -0.400 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [CE-550HM](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-550hm) | 550 | 21.3 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [CE-545HM](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-545hm) | 545 | 21.1 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [CE-540HM](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-540hm) | 540 | 20.9 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [CE-535HM](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-535hm) | 535 | 20.7 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [CE-530HM](https://comparepv.com/panel/centro-energy-ce-530hm) | 530 | 20.5 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar was founded in 2003 by Alexander Maier and his siblings in Königsbrunn, Germany, and has grown from a family business into a globally recognized brand with manufacturing facilities in China, Georgia, and Turkey. The company's combined annual production capacity stands at approximately 2.5 GW. In 2024, BloombergNEF confirmed AE Solar as Europe's sole Tier 1 PV module manufacturer with high bankability - a status the company has maintained for more than 13 consecutive quarters. AE Solar also earned the Kiwa PVEL Top Performer Award in 2025 and a five-star rating from PV Magazine in performance testing for N-type TOPCon modules, reflecting a strong institutional and technical footprint. Centro Energy, founded in 2011 and headquartered in China with a European warehouse in Rotterdam, operates manufacturing lines in China (up to 300 MW modules and 200 MW cells) and Vietnam (up to 300 MW modules). The company supplies products to over 40 countries and works with more than 20 international distributors, but does not appear on confirmed BloombergNEF Tier 1 lists, and its production scale is considerably smaller than AE Solar's.

AE Solar's primary product for international buyers is the Meteor series, built on N-type TOPCon cell technology and suited for residential rooftop installs, commercial C&I projects, and utility-scale ground-mount applications. The Aurora series, using P-type PERC technology, offers a more cost-oriented alternative for budget-sensitive projects. Centro Energy's catalog covers mono- and polycrystalline modules, black modules, smart modules, and OEM/ODM services, addressing both residential and industrial segments. The company's IEC61215 and IEC61730 certifications confirm baseline quality compliance, and its average panel efficiency has been reported at around 20.8% with top models reaching 21.6%, placing it in a solid but unexceptional mid-range bracket.

For international buyers - particularly those financing projects through banks or requiring insurer-approved module brands - AE Solar's confirmed Tier 1 bankability and larger production scale make it the more defensible choice. Centro Energy may appeal in price-sensitive contexts or OEM scenarios, but the absence of a verified Tier 1 designation and its more limited production footprint introduce meaningful procurement risk for larger or long-term projects.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


## Other comparisons

- [AE Solar vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-a-b-energy)
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- [AKCOME vs Centro Energy](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-centro-energy)
- [AE Solar vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-artsolar)
- [ASM vs Centro Energy](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-centro-energy)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-centro-energy

Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.