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

# AE Solar vs Maxeon

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 36 models). AE Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.43%.


## The two companies


| Attribute | AE Solar | Maxeon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Germany | Singapore |
| Headquarters | Gersthofen | Singapore |
| Founded | 2003 | 2020 |
| Employees | 501-1000 |  |
| Annual capacity | 2+ GW/year |  |
| Tier 1 | yes | yes |
| Listed |  | NASDAQ: MAXN |
| Website | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) | [https://www.maxeon.com](https://www.maxeon.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 | Maxeon | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 646 | 36 | +610 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 555 W | +175 W |
| Avg Power | 489 W | 444 W | +45 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AE Solar | Maxeon | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.43% | 24.00% | +0.43 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | 21.36% | +0.25 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AE Solar | Maxeon | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | -0.294%/°C | +0.018 |
| Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 19 (53%) | +10 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | 31.4 yrs | +1.7 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

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


| Efficiency band | AE Solar | Maxeon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 7 (19.4%) |
| 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 4 (11.1%) |
| 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 8 (22.2%) |
| 22-23% | 199 (30.8%) | 14 (38.9%) |
| 23%+ | 60 (9.3%) | 3 (8.3%) |


## Power distribution

AE Solar offers more 600W+ panels (13% of lineup)


| Power band | AE Solar | Maxeon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 7 (19.4%) |
| 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 17 (47.2%) |
| 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 12 (33.3%) |
| 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 0 |
| 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 |


## Cell technology

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

Dominant cell tech: **Back Contact** (42%)


| Technology | AE Solar | Maxeon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 12 (33.3%) |
| PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 7 (19.4%) |
| Back Contact | 21 (3.3%) | 15 (41.7%) |
| N-type | 17 (2.6%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 9 (1.4%) | 0 |
| HJT | 5 (0.8%) | 0 |
| Flexible | 0 | 2 (5.6%) |


## 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, Maxeon


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [SPR-P7-555-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-555-com-s) | 555 | 22.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [SPR-P7-550-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-550-com-s) | 550 | 22.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [SPR-P7-545-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-545-com-s) | 545 | 22.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [SPR-P7-540-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-540-com-s) | 540 | 22.1 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [SPR-P7-535-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-535-com-s) | 535 | 21.9 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [SPR-P7-530-COM-S](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p7-530-com-s) | 530 | 21.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [SPR-P6-525-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-525-upp) | 525 | 20.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [SPR-P6-520-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-520-upp) | 520 | 20.0 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [SPR-P6-515-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-515-upp) | 515 | 19.8 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [SPR-P6-510-UPP](https://comparepv.com/panel/maxeon-spr-p6-510-upp) | 510 | 19.6 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar is a German-headquartered manufacturer founded in 2003 in Königsbrunn, Bavaria, with production plants in China, Georgia, and Turkey. Its combined annual manufacturing capacity stands at approximately 2.5 GW, and the company achieved its 16th consecutive BloombergNEF Tier 1 listing in Q1 2025 - a mark of consistent bankability valued by project financiers worldwide. Maxeon Solar Technologies was spun out of SunPower in 2020 and is registered in Singapore, with TCL holding a 36.5% stake and TotalEnergies holding 24.4%. Although Maxeon has historically appeared on Tier 1 lists and pioneered premium IBC cell technology, the company is in severe financial distress: it posted over $600 million in net losses for fiscal year 2024, revenues collapsed from $1.1 billion to $509 million, and in April 2026 it filed for judicial management in a Singapore court - raising serious questions about its ability to honor even its headline 40-year product warranty. On institutional stability and operational continuity, AE Solar holds a clear advantage right now.

AE Solar's portfolio centers on n-type TOPCon modules, including bifacial configurations that serve residential rooftop, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale ground-mount applications. Its 30-year product warranty is above the industry norm and positions the brand well across all market segments. Maxeon's product range is built around its proprietary IBC back-contact cell architecture, which delivers some of the highest commercially available efficiency figures - up to around 22.8% in the Maxeon 6 series, with the Maxeon 7 prototype reaching 24.9% in NREL testing. The company addresses two distinct markets: the Maxeon series targets residential and light-commercial rooftops, while the Performance series is designed for utility-scale power plants.

For most international buyers - whether sourcing for residential projects, C&I installations, or utility tenders - AE Solar is the lower-risk default today. Its confirmed Tier 1 status, financially sound operations, and competitive TOPCon pricing outweigh Maxeon's undeniable efficiency edge under current conditions. Maxeon's panels remain technically superior, and if a buyer can independently verify warranty backstop arrangements and supply chain continuity during the restructuring period, the premium IBC product may still be justified for high-value, space-constrained projects. Until Maxeon completes its restructuring and demonstrates a credible path as a going concern, treating it as a primary supplier carries real financial exposure.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


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- [AKCOME vs Maxeon](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-maxeon)
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- [ASM vs Maxeon](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-maxeon)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-maxeon

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