AIKO vs New East Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AIKO has the broader catalog (144 vs 30 models). AIKO leads on peak efficiency at 25.20%. New East Solar leans bifacial (67% 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
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Shanghai, China
- Listed
- SZSE: 600732
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
New East Solar Energy (NE Solar) is a Cambodia-based solar cell and module manufacturer specializing in high-efficiency Mono and Poly PERC solar cells and modules. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Cambodia, Indonesia, and a new 2 GW factory in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. NE Solar holds a BNEF Tier 1...
- Headquarters
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Annual capacity
- 5-10 GW/year
- Employees
- 201-500
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
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
AIKO skews to higher efficiency: 85% of lineup is 23%+
AIKO offers more 600W+ panels (60% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>Back Contact</strong> (83%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>TOPCon</strong> (67%)
The flagships
Written summary
AIKO Solar is a Chinese photovoltaic manufacturer founded in 2009 and headquartered in the Guangdong-Shanghai corridor. The company achieved BloombergNEF Tier 1 status in Q3 2024 and, as of Q1 2025, reports roughly 20 GW of annual production capacity spread across multiple gigafactories in cities including Foshan, Zhuhai, and Yiwu, plus a European R&D center in Freiburg, Germany. New East Solar Energy (trading as NE Solar) is headquartered in Cambodia and operates manufacturing sites in Cambodia and Indonesia, with a 2 GW facility under development in Phoenix, Arizona, bringing its stated total capacity to approximately 6.7 GW; the company also earned BNEF Tier 1 recognition in August 2024. In terms of institutional footprint, AIKO's larger manufacturing base and multi-continent presence give it a meaningfully stronger position in global project finance markets.
AIKO's defining product differentiation is its proprietary ABC (All Back Contact) cell architecture, a variant of back-contact n-type technology that eliminates front-side busbars and has reached module efficiencies above 25% in its Neostar series - among the highest of any commercially available panel. This positions AIKO squarely in the premium segment: high-value residential rooftops and space-constrained commercial installations where maximizing power density justifies the premium price per watt. New East Solar, by contrast, targets commercial and utility-scale buyers and has oriented its U.S. capacity specifically toward domestic-content requirements; its technology mix has not been confirmed in depth by independent technical publications, so no cell-type claim is made here.
For a typical buyer in 2025 who prioritizes documented efficiency leadership and long-term bankability, AIKO is the stronger default choice. New East Solar is a credible option for utility-scale or IRA-compliance-driven procurement in North America, where its domestic manufacturing footprint carries real commercial value.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-06
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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.