AIKO vs Thornova Solar - 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
Thornova Solar, formerly known as Sunova Solar Technology Co., Ltd., is a Chinese manufacturer of high-efficiency photovoltaic modules and solar cells with production facilities in China and Indonesia. The company specializes in advanced solar panel technology and holds BNEF Tier 1 bankable module manufacturer status...
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Wuxi, China
- Annual capacity
- 5-10 GW/year
- Employees
- 500-1000
- 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 is a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Foshan, Guangdong, founded in 2009. The company has built its reputation around its proprietary All Back Contact (ABC) cell architecture, an n-type design that relocates all electrical contacts to the rear of the cell to eliminate front-side shading losses. AIKO achieved BloombergNEF Tier 1 status in 2024 and reports an annual production capacity of approximately 20 GW. It has topped the TaiyangNews High-Efficiency Module ranking for more than 34 consecutive months and reached 25% mass-production module efficiency by early 2026. Thornova Solar, by contrast, is a far younger brand - registered in the United States around 2021-2022 with manufacturing based in Vietnam and historical ties to China's Sunova Solar. It achieved BNEF Tier 1 status by Q3 2023 and carries a B rating in the PV Tech Bankability Report, though the brand's intellectual property was acquired by ICE EYE in 2025. AIKO holds the deeper institutional footprint and longer manufacturing track record of the two.
AIKO's product range centers on its ABC modules, aimed at premium residential rooftop installations where buyers prioritize maximum power output per square meter - a decisive advantage on constrained roof areas. The company has been steadily converting capacity at its Yiwu and Chuzhou manufacturing bases from TOPCon to ABC. Thornova Solar offers bifacial TOPCon and PERC modules spanning mid-range residential formats up to large-format G12 panels exceeding 700 W, with its Tangra M PRO series earning a Kiwa PVEL Top Performer distinction across all seven reliability test categories in 2025. Thornova's lineup is positioned toward cost-conscious commercial and utility-scale buyers who need bankable, third-party validated modules without paying a premium for the latest cell generation.
For buyers prioritizing peak efficiency and willing to pay a premium, AIKO's ABC technology is difficult to match in the current market. For buyers optimizing cost-per-watt on larger commercial or ground-mount projects, Thornova's bifacial TOPCon lineup offers solid third-party validation at a more accessible price point. The two brands target meaningfully different segments, so the right choice depends almost entirely on project type and budget.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-09
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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.