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

# AE Solar vs VDS Renewable

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


## The two companies


| Attribute | AE Solar | VDS Renewable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | VDS Renewable | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 646 | 63 | +583 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 670 W | +60 W |
| Avg Power | 489 W | 441 W | +48 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AE Solar | VDS Renewable | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.43% | 21.60% | +2.83 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | 20.34% | +0.76 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AE Solar | VDS Renewable | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | -0.340%/°C | +0.028 |
| Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 10 (16%) | +47 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | 25.4 yrs | +4.3 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

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


| Efficiency band | AE Solar | VDS Renewable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 17 (27.0%) |
| 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 34 (54.0%) |
| 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 12 (19.0%) |
| 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 | VDS Renewable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 22 (34.9%) |
| 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 26 (41.3%) |
| 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 10 (15.9%) |
| 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 5 (7.9%) |
| 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 |


## Cell technology

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

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (32%)


| Technology | AE Solar | VDS Renewable |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 0 |
| PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 20 (31.7%) |
| Back Contact | 21 (3.3%) | 0 |
| N-type | 17 (2.6%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 9 (1.4%) | 0 |
| HJT | 5 (0.8%) | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 43 (68.3%) |


## 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, VDS Renewable


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [VDS-S132/M12H-670](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s132-m12h-670) | 670 | 21.6 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [VDS-S132/M12H-665](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s132-m12h-665) | 665 | 21.4 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [VDS-S132/M12H-660](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s132-m12h-660) | 660 | 21.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [VDS-S132/M12H-655](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s132-m12h-655) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [VDS-S132/M12H-650](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s132-m12h-650) | 650 | 20.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [VDS-S110/M12H-555](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s110-m12h-555) | 555 | 21.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [VDS-S110/M12H-550](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s110-m12h-550) | 550 | 21.0 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [VDS-S144/M10H-550](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s144-m10h-550) | 550 | 21.3 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [VDS-S110/M12H-545](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s110-m12h-545) | 545 | 20.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [VDS-S144/M10H-545](https://comparepv.com/panel/vds-renewable-vds-s144-m10h-545) | 545 | 21.1 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar is a German solar module manufacturer founded in 2003 in Königsbrunn by brothers Alexander, Victor, and Waldemar Maier. The company holds BloombergNEF Tier 1 status - confirmed for the 16th consecutive time in Q1 2025 - and was identified as Europe's sole Tier 1 PV manufacturer with high bankability in 2024, with its bankability score rising from 26% in 2023 to 50% in 2024. Operating in more than 100 markets with an annual production capacity exceeding 2 GW, AE Solar also ranked 18th in Wood Mackenzie's 2025 Global PV Module Manufacturer Rankings, making it the only German brand in that listing. VDS Renewable is a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, with a stated cell production capacity of 5 GW and module capacity of 2 GW across a 100,000-square-meter facility. It does not appear on any Tier 1 bankability list and has a substantially smaller commercial footprint, offering 63 listed panel models compared to AE Solar's 442.

AE Solar's portfolio is technically strong: nearly half its models (49.8%) use N-type TOPCon cells, the maximum module efficiency reaches 24.43%, the average portfolio efficiency stands at 21.34%, and the average temperature coefficient is a competitive -0.313%/°C. A bifacial module share of 63.8% and an average product warranty of nearly 30 years (29.7 years) make AE Solar well suited for residential rooftop installs, commercial C&I projects, and utility-scale ground-mount systems where long-term bankable performance and lender due diligence are key requirements. VDS Renewable achieves a maximum efficiency of 21.6% and a portfolio average of 20.34%, with a less favorable temperature coefficient of -0.34%/°C; only 15.9% of its lineup is bifacial, and the dominant cell technology is unspecified for over 68% of its models. This positions VDS Renewable primarily for budget-sensitive applications such as balcony solar systems, small off-grid setups, or entry-level residential projects where third-party bankability is not a prerequisite.

For international buyers weighing the two manufacturers, AE Solar presents a clearly stronger value proposition wherever bankability, certified performance data, and long-term warranty support are decision factors - particularly for European projects subject to financial due diligence or requiring grid-connected utility approvals. VDS Renewable may serve as a cost-entry option in unfinanced, smaller-scale deployments, but buyers should account for the limited transparency around cell technology and the absence of Tier 1 recognition, both of which represent elevated technical and commercial risk over a project's lifetime.

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 VDS Renewable](https://comparepv.com/aeet-vs-vds-renewable)
- [AE Solar vs AIKO](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-aiko)
- [AKCOME vs VDS Renewable](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-vds-renewable)
- [AE Solar vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-artsolar)
- [ASM vs VDS Renewable](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-vds-renewable)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-vds-renewable

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