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AE Solar vs Rarlon PV Tech - solar panel manufacturer comparison

AE Solar
Germany Founded 2003 Tier 1
Read the AE Solar review
VS
Rarlon PV Tech
China
Read the Rarlon PV Tech review
At a glance

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 52 models). AE Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.43%. AE Solar leans bifacial (63% of lineup).

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.

Panel models
646 52
Highest power
730 Wp 550 Wp
Best efficiency
24.4% 21.5%
Average efficiency
21.1% 18.3%
Bifacial share
63% 0%
Average warranty
30 yrs 25 yrs
01

The two companies

Company facts, not datasheet figures
AE Solar

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...

Founded
2003
Headquarters
Gersthofen, Germany
Annual capacity
2+ GW/year
Employees
501-1000
Tier 1 bankable
Yes
Rarlon PV Tech

Rarlon PV Tech, also known as Rarlon Solar, has specialized in the solar field for over 10 years. They are a professional manufacturer and supplier of green energy products, engaging in the production and installation of solar panels, solar systems, and solar projects. Their products are exported to various countries...

Headquarters
Ningbo, China
02

Catalogue against catalogue

Averages over every model in the database
Metric AE Solar Rarlon PV Tech
Catalog & Power
Panel Models 646+594 52
Max Power 730 W+180 W 550 W
Avg Power 489 W+138 W 351 W
Efficiency
Max Efficiency 24.43%+2.93 pp 21.50%
Avg Efficiency 21.11%+2.78 pp 18.33%
Reliability & Warranty
Avg Temp Coefficient -0.312%/°C+0.127 -0.439%/°C
Bifacial Share 405 (63%)+63 pp 0 (0%)
Avg Warranty 29.7 yrs+4.7 yr 25.0 yrs

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.

03

What each of them builds

Cell technology across the market
Efficiency spread
Share of each catalogue in every efficiency band

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

Power spread
Share of each catalogue in every power band

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

AE Solar cell technology
Share of their models by cell architecture

Dominant cell tech: <strong>TOPCon</strong> (54%)

Rarlon PV Tech cell technology
Share of their models by cell architecture

Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (77%)

04

The flagships

Highest-power models from each brand
05

Written summary

Checking cache...

AE Solar is a German manufacturer founded in 2003 in Königsbrunn, with production facilities in China, Georgia, and Turkey and an annual output exceeding 2 GW. The company holds Bloomberg Tier 1 status and distributes its modules to more than 95 countries worldwide, making it one of the more internationally established mid-tier European brands. Rarlon PV Tech, headquartered in Ningbo, China, is a considerably smaller manufacturer with no publicly confirmed Tier 1 bankability rating and a product catalog of just 52 panel models, primarily targeting export markets in Europe, South America, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

In terms of technology, AE Solar leads across every key metric. Its portfolio peaks at 730 Wp and reaches a maximum efficiency of 24.43%, with an average efficiency of 21.34% driven largely by its growing TOPCon lineup, which accounts for nearly 50% of the catalog. The average temperature coefficient of -0.313%/°C is notably better than Rarlon's -0.439%/°C, meaning AE Solar panels sustain output better under heat stress. Additionally, 63.8% of AE Solar's portfolio is bifacial, opening the product range to utility-scale ground-mount and commercial C&I installations where rear-side gain adds meaningful yield. The average warranty stands at nearly 30 years. Rarlon PV Tech, by contrast, relies predominantly on PERC technology (76.9% of its catalog), has a maximum power output of 550 Wp, average efficiency of 18.33%, and offers no bifacial options whatsoever, limiting its suitability primarily to budget-constrained residential rooftop projects.

For international buyers choosing between the two, AE Solar is the stronger candidate in virtually every scenario - residential rooftop installs, commercial C&I projects, and utility-scale ground-mount alike - backed by Tier 1 bankability, a high-efficiency TOPCon and bifacial portfolio, superior temperature performance, and robust warranty terms. Rarlon PV Tech may serve as a low-cost fallback for price-sensitive applications in markets where bankability and long-term performance guarantees are secondary concerns, but it cannot compete with AE Solar on technology, scale, or market credibility.

Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-13

06

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Something missing from a catalogue? Both lists are built from the datasheets in the database. If a model is absent, it has not been ingested yet.

Shop prices: See 5 AE Solar offers

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.