AIKO vs Sungrow - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AIKO has the broader catalog (144 vs 0 models). AIKO leans bifacial (24% 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
Sungrow (Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd.) is the world's leading manufacturer of solar PV inverters and energy storage systems, headquartered in Hefei, Anhui, China. Founded in 1997, the company specializes in string and central inverters, wind converters, floating PV systems, and utility-scale battery storage...
- Founded
- 1997
- Headquarters
- Hefei, China
- Employees
- 15000-20000
- Listed
- SZSE: 300274
- 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%)
The flagships
Written summary
AIKO Solar is a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Shanghai, founded in 2009 with a focus exclusively on photovoltaic cells and modules. The company earned BloombergNEF Tier 1 status in 2024 and by some estimates operates a production capacity exceeding 30 GW per year, placing it among the larger dedicated module makers globally. Sungrow is a much older firm, founded in 1997 and headquartered in Hefei, Anhui Province, primarily recognized as the world's largest solar inverter manufacturer. Sungrow entered module production more recently as part of a broader vertical integration strategy. Both brands carry Tier 1 recognition in their respective categories, but Sungrow commands a significantly larger global institutional footprint built over decades of inverter and energy storage deployments.
AIKO's entire panel lineup is built around its proprietary ABC (All Back Contact) cell technology, which places all electrical contacts on the rear of the cell to eliminate front-side shading losses. The Gen 3 series has achieved mass-production module efficiencies in the 24% range, making AIKO the standout choice for space-constrained residential rooftops where yield per square meter is the primary concern. Sungrow's module range uses N-type TOPCon bifacial cells and spans residential, commercial rooftop, and small utility-scale ground-mount applications. A meaningful advantage for Sungrow panel buyers is native compatibility with the company's own inverters and battery storage systems, simplifying system design and after-sales support for installers already in the Sungrow ecosystem.
For buyers prioritizing peak module efficiency from a dedicated panel specialist, AIKO is the stronger pick in 2025. For buyers seeking a single-vendor solution - modules, inverter, and storage under one support structure - Sungrow's integrated offering has clear practical appeal, even though panels are not its heritage business. The two brands serve overlapping but meaningfully different buyer profiles.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-11
Other brand comparisons
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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.