AE Solar vs YS Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 5 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.
The two companies
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
Guangdong Yaosheng Solar Technology Co., Ltd. (YS SOLAR) is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, sales, and service of photovoltaic and solar thermal products. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guangdong Yaosheng-Yifang Group. YS Solar has become a leading enterprise in the...
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, China
Catalogue against catalogue
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.
What each of them builds
AE Solar skews to higher efficiency: 9% of lineup is 23%+
AE Solar offers more 600W+ panels (13% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>TOPCon</strong> (54%)
The flagships
Written summary
AE Solar is a photovoltaic module manufacturer headquartered in Gersthofen, Germany, founded in 2003. It operates factories in China, Georgia, and Turkey with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 2.5 GW, and has appeared on BloombergNEF's Tier 1 PV Module Manufacturer list 17 times - including five consecutive years through 2025. A 2024 BloombergNEF survey singled it out as Europe's sole Tier 1 manufacturer with high bankability, a distinction that carries material weight in project-finance decisions. YS Solar (Guangdong Yaosheng Solar Technology Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese producer founded in 2009 with around 1,200 employees, offering monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and PERC modules across a 160-550 Wp power range. No BloombergNEF Tier 1 listing or published GW-scale production figure could be confirmed for YS Solar in available sources, and its institutional footprint is considerably smaller than AE Solar's.
AE Solar's catalog spans residential rooftop, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale ground-mount applications. PV Magazine awarded its N-type TOPCon modules a five-star rating in independent performance testing, and the company also offers HJT and back-contact cell architectures. Its 30-year product warranty stands well above the 10-12 year industry norm and is a concrete differentiator for long-horizon projects. YS Solar's offering, based on publicly available data, is oriented toward residential and lighter commercial segments. Its PERC monocrystalline modules cover a broad wattage range suitable for rooftop installations, but no independently validated performance awards or tier-level recognition were found in the sources reviewed.
For most international buyers - whether a residential installer prioritising bankable warranties or a developer arranging project finance - AE Solar is the more defensible default. Its verified Tier 1 status, tested N-type TOPCon line, and extended warranty address the key risks across retail and institutional contexts. YS Solar may suit cost-sensitive buyers in smaller, self-financed installations, but the absence of confirmed bankability credentials means additional due diligence is warranted. The two brands are not interchangeable where financing or long-term performance guarantees are deciding factors.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-14
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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.