--- title: "AE Solar vs Esse Solar - Brand Comparison | ComparePV" description: "Compare AE Solar vs Esse Solar solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background." source: "https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-esse-solar" --- # AE Solar vs Esse Solar AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 0 models). AE Solar leans bifacial (63% of lineup). ## The two companies | Attribute | AE Solar | Esse Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | Country | Germany | Italy | | Headquarters | Gersthofen | Gallarate | | Founded | 2003 | 1991 | | Employees | 501-1000 | 11-50 | | Annual capacity | 2+ GW/year | | | Tier 1 | yes | | | 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... Esse Solar is an Italian company that provides solar solutions to solar professionals, businesses, and individuals who want to improve their energy efficiency. The company was founded in 1991 and is based in Gallarate. Esse Solar has raised $6.54M in funding from VAM Investments. ## Catalog & Power | Measure | AE Solar | Esse Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Panel Models | 646 | 0 | +646 | | Max Power | 730 W | 0 W | +730 W | | Avg Power | 489 W | 0 W | +489 W | ## Efficiency | Measure | AE Solar | Esse Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Max Efficiency | 24.43% | - | | | Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | - | | ## Reliability & Warranty | Measure | AE Solar | Esse Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | - | | | Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 0 (0%) | +63 pp | | Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | - | | ## Efficiency distribution AE Solar skews to higher efficiency: 9% of lineup is 23%+ | Efficiency band | AE Solar | Esse Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 0 | | 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 0 | | 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 0 | | 22-23% | 199 (30.8%) | 0 | | 23%+ | 60 (9.3%) | 0 | ## Power distribution AE Solar offers more 600W+ panels (13% of lineup) | Power band | AE Solar | Esse Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 0 | | 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 0 | | 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 0 | | 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 0 | | 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 | ## Cell technology Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (54%) | Technology | AE Solar | Esse Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 0 | | PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 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 | ## Summary AE Solar, operating as AE Alternative Energy GmbH, is a solar panel manufacturer headquartered in Königsbrunn, Germany, founded in 2003. The company runs production facilities in China, Georgia, and Turkey, with a combined annual output exceeding 2 GW. AE Solar has appeared on the BloombergNEF Tier 1 module manufacturer list on multiple occasions - in 2024 it was recognized as the only European manufacturer on that list with high bankability, and in 2025 it ranked 18th in Wood Mackenzie's global PV module manufacturer rankings, the sole German company to appear. Esse Solar S.r.l., by contrast, is an Italian company based in Gallarate that operates primarily as a photovoltaic systems distributor and installer rather than a module manufacturer. It designs and delivers turnkey solar installations sourcing panels and inverters from third-party suppliers such as Trina Solar and LONGi Solar. In terms of institutional footprint, manufacturing scale, and bankability, AE Solar is in an entirely different category. AE Solar's product portfolio spans N-type TOPCon modules (Meteor series), PERC technology, and hybrid PV/Thermal panels, covering residential rooftop, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale ground-mount applications. A documented project includes a 39.6 MWp solar farm in the UK. The brand differentiates itself with a 30-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty guaranteeing at least 87.4% output retention, terms that stand out across the market. PV Magazine awarded AE Solar's TOPCon modules a five-star rating in independent performance testing. Esse Solar, as an integrator, has no proprietary module line; its panel selection depends on the supplier agreements active at any given time. For an international buyer evaluating these two names as potential module suppliers, AE Solar is the clear default: verified Tier 1 bankability, European engineering standards, multi-GW production scale, and class-leading warranty terms all support project financing and long-term investor confidence. Esse Solar serves a useful role as a regional installer and distributor in Italy, but it is not a substitute for a module manufacturer. The two brands are not interchangeable - they occupy fundamentally different positions in the solar value chain. 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) - [AEET vs Esse Solar](https://comparepv.com/aeet-vs-esse-solar) - [AE Solar vs AIKO](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-aiko) - [AKCOME vs Esse Solar](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-esse-solar) - [AE Solar vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-artsolar) - [ASM vs Esse Solar](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-esse-solar) --- Source: https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-esse-solar Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.