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

# AE Solar vs S-Energy

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 91 models). AE Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.43%. S-Energy leans bifacial (77% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | AE Solar | S-Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Germany | South Korea |
| Headquarters | Gersthofen | Seoul |
| Founded | 2003 | 2011 |
| Employees | 501-1000 |  |
| Annual capacity | 2+ GW/year |  |
| Tier 1 | yes | no |
| Listed |  |  |
| Website | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) | [https://www.s-energy.com](https://www.s-energy.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 | S-Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 646 | 91 | +555 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 665 W | +65 W |
| Avg Power | 489 W | 512 W | +24 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AE Solar | S-Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.43% | 22.38% | +2.05 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | 21.00% | +0.11 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AE Solar | S-Energy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | -0.339%/°C | +0.027 |
| Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 70 (77%) | +14 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | 27.7 yrs | +1.9 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

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


| Efficiency band | AE Solar | S-Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 0 |
| 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 50 (54.9%) |
| 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 34 (37.4%) |
| 22-23% | 199 (30.8%) | 7 (7.7%) |
| 23%+ | 60 (9.3%) | 0 |


## Power distribution

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


| Power band | AE Solar | S-Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 4 (4.4%) |
| 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 36 (39.6%) |
| 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 40 (44.0%) |
| 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 11 (12.1%) |
| 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 |


## Cell technology

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

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (59%)


| Technology | AE Solar | S-Energy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 25 (27.5%) |
| PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 54 (59.3%) |
| Back Contact | 21 (3.3%) | 0 |
| N-type | 17 (2.6%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 9 (1.4%) | 0 |
| HJT | 5 (0.8%) | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 12 (13.2%) |


## 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, S-Energy


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [SL85-66BDL-665R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl85-66bdl-665r) | 665 | 21.4 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [SL85-66BDL-660R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl85-66bdl-660r) | 660 | 21.3 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [SL85-66BDL-655R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl85-66bdl-655r) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [SL85-66BDL-650R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl85-66bdl-650r) | 650 | 20.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [SL85-66BDL-645R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl85-66bdl-645r) | 645 | 20.8 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [SL65-78TDP-625R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl65-78tdp-625r) | 625 | 22.4 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [SL65-78TDP-620R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl65-78tdp-620r) | 620 | 22.2 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [SL65-78TDP-615R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl65-78tdp-615r) | 615 | 22.0 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [SL65-78TDP-610R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl65-78tdp-610r) | 610 | 21.8 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [SL65-78TDP-605R](https://comparepv.com/panel/s-energy-sl65-78tdp-605r) | 605 | 21.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar is a German manufacturer headquartered in Königsbrunn, founded in 2003 and operating for over two decades as a privately-owned business. The company holds confirmed Tier 1 bankable status according to BloombergNEF - recorded for the 16th time in Q1 2025 - and commands a production capacity exceeding 2 GW across manufacturing sites in China, Georgia, and Turkey, with a commercial presence in over 100 countries. S-Energy is a South Korean manufacturer founded in 2011 with an estimated production capacity of approximately 500 MW concentrated at its facility in Daejeon, South Korea. Unlike AE Solar, S-Energy does not currently hold Tier 1 bankable status, which represents a meaningful distinction for project finance and institutional procurement.

On the technology side, AE Solar leads with n-type TOPCon cells making up nearly 50% of its 442-panel portfolio, reaching a maximum module efficiency of 24.43%, an average efficiency of 21.34%, and an average temperature coefficient of -0.313%/°C. The Meteor series, which received the Kiwa PVEL Top Performer Award 2025 and a five-star rating from PV Magazine, supports modules up to 730 Wp with bifacial configurations suited to agrivoltaic and vertical-mount applications. AE Solar also became the first DIBt-certified Tier 1 manufacturer in the industry. S-Energy's portfolio of 91 panels is anchored by PERC technology (approximately 59% of the range), with a maximum efficiency of 22.38% and a less favorable temperature coefficient of -0.339%/°C. S-Energy does show a higher bifacial share at 76.9% and a slightly higher average panel power of 512 Wp, suggesting a narrower but high-output product focus. Warranties average around 27.75 years compared to AE Solar's approximately 29.7 years.

For international buyers choosing between the two, AE Solar is the stronger candidate for utility-scale ground-mount projects, commercial C&I installations, and any deployment requiring bank financing or institutional approval, given its Tier 1 status, larger R&D-backed portfolio, and superior efficiency figures. S-Energy may appeal in price-sensitive segments where bankability requirements are absent, but its smaller portfolio, shorter track record, and non-Tier-1 standing limit its competitiveness in larger or financed 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)
- [AEET vs S-Energy](https://comparepv.com/aeet-vs-s-energy)
- [AE Solar vs AIKO](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-aiko)
- [AKCOME vs S-Energy](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-s-energy)
- [AE Solar vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-artsolar)
- [ASM vs S-Energy](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-s-energy)


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

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