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

# AE Solar vs Zonergy

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).


## The two companies


| Attribute | AE Solar | Zonergy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Germany | China |
| Headquarters | Gersthofen | Zigong, Sichuan |
| Founded | 2003 | 2007 |
| Employees | 501-1000 | 201-300 |
| Annual capacity | 2+ GW/year | null GW/year |
| Tier 1 | yes |  |
| Listed |  |  |
| Website | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) | [http://www.zonergy.com](http://www.zonergy.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...

Zonergy is a world-renowned enterprise specializing in smart microgrid integrated solutions. The company is committed to providing first-class smart micro-grid solutions for global customers, covering technology research and development, product production, sales and trade, engineering design and implementation, and...


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | AE Solar | Zonergy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 646 | 5 | +641 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 460 W | +270 W |
| Avg Power | 489 W | 450 W | +39 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AE Solar | Zonergy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.43% | 21.16% | +3.27 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 21.11% | 20.70% | +0.41 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AE Solar | Zonergy | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.312%/°C | -0.350%/°C | +0.038 |
| Bifacial Share | 405 (63%) | 0 (0%) | +63 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.7 yrs | 25.0 yrs | +4.7 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

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


| Efficiency band | AE Solar | Zonergy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 74 (11.5%) | 0 |
| 20-21% | 171 (26.5%) | 4 (80.0%) |
| 21-22% | 142 (22.0%) | 1 (20.0%) |
| 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 | Zonergy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 78 (12.1%) | 0 |
| 400-499W | 329 (50.9%) | 5 (100.0%) |
| 500-599W | 154 (23.8%) | 0 |
| 600-699W | 55 (8.5%) | 0 |
| 700W+ | 30 (4.6%) | 0 |


## Cell technology

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

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (100%)


| Technology | AE Solar | Zonergy |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 349 (54.0%) | 0 |
| PERC | 245 (37.9%) | 5 (100.0%) |
| Back Contact | 21 (3.3%) | 0 |
| N-type | 17 (2.6%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 9 (1.4%) | 0 |
| HJT | 5 (0.8%) | 0 |


## 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, Zonergy


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [ZPM 460MH3-72](https://comparepv.com/panel/zonergy-zpm-460mh3-72) | 460 | 21.2 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [ZPM 455MH3-72](https://comparepv.com/panel/zonergy-zpm-455mh3-72) | 455 | 20.9 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [ZPM 450MH3-72](https://comparepv.com/panel/zonergy-zpm-450mh3-72) | 450 | 20.7 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [ZPM 445MH3-72](https://comparepv.com/panel/zonergy-zpm-445mh3-72) | 445 | 20.5 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [ZPM 440MH3-72](https://comparepv.com/panel/zonergy-zpm-440mh3-72) | 440 | 20.2 | -0.350 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar is a German-registered manufacturer (AESolar Energy GmbH) with roots dating to 2003 and production facilities spread across China, Georgia, and Turkey, giving it a combined annual module output of approximately 2.5 GW. The company was included in BloombergNEF's Global Tier 1 Solar Module Manufacturer list for the sixteenth time as of Q1 2025, and Bloomberg has separately recognized it as Europe's sole Tier 1 PV manufacturer with high bankability - a distinction that carries real weight when arranging non-recourse project financing. Zonergy, by contrast, is a Chinese energy conglomerate founded in 2007 and headquartered in Zigong, Sichuan Province. Its principal activity has historically been project development and EPC contracting rather than high-volume module supply to third-party buyers; its most prominent reference is a 900 MW utility-scale plant in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor framework. Based on available public information, Zonergy has not been confirmed on the BloombergNEF Tier 1 list in recent quarters. On institutional footprint and bankability, AE Solar holds a clear advantage.

AE Solar's flagship line is the Meteor series, built on N-type TOPCon cell technology and available in configurations ranging from roughly 415 W to over 700 W. The lineup spans monofacial and bifacial double-glass variants, covering residential rooftop, commercial and industrial (C&I), and utility-scale ground-mount applications. The Meteor series earned a five-star "Very Good" rating in PV Magazine's module test and a Kiwa PVEL Top Performer Award in 2025, giving installers and project lenders independent quality benchmarks. AE Solar also backs its modules with a 30-year product warranty, exceeding the 25-year standard that remains common across much of the industry. Zonergy's portfolio is broader in scope - encompassing energy storage systems, inverters, and off-grid solutions alongside PV modules - but specific cell technology and efficiency data for its current module range are less consistently reported in third-party sources, making comparative technical evaluation more difficult.

For a buyer procuring modules for a bankable project - whether a rooftop C&I system or a grid-tied ground-mount farm - AE Solar is the more defensible choice: Tier 1 status, independent performance recognition, and a documented 30-year warranty reduce scrutiny from lenders and technical advisors. Zonergy may be a relevant partner in markets where it operates as a vertically integrated developer-supplier, but as a standalone module brand for international or European procurement it carries considerably less documented bankability evidence. The two brands are not interchangeable in a project-finance context, and AE Solar's institutional track record is materially stronger.

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


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

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

