AKCOME vs Runda Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison

Runda Solar, trading as Jiangsu Runda PV Co., Ltd., is a Chinese manufacturer founded in 2009 and headquartered in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. The company employs over 800 people and claims a module production capacity of around 4 GW per year, placing it in the mid-tier of Chinese producers. It does not appear on the BloombergNEF Tier 1 module maker list, meaning it lacks the bankability recognition that large project financiers typically require. AKCOME (Jiangsu Akcome Industrial Group), also founded in Jiangsu in 2006, was historically more prominent: it held BloombergNEF Tier 1 status and had been publicly listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 2010. However, AKCOME was delisted in August 2024 after its share price fell below CNY 1 for 20 consecutive trading days, and its subsidiary Zhejiang Akcome Photovoltaic Technology entered court-supervised bankruptcy reorganization in mid-2024, following net losses every year since 2019. On institutional footprint, AKCOME once had the stronger profile, but that standing has been severely undermined by its financial collapse.

Runda's current product range spans N-type TOPCon modules alongside HJT and legacy PERC formats, targeting residential rooftops, C&I distributed installations, utility-scale ground mounts, and balcony PV systems. The company holds TUV and UL certifications, and its N-type bifacial glass-glass series has obtained European fire protection Class 1 certification. AKCOME built its identity around early investment in HJT heterojunction technology - a cell type offering high efficiency at relatively low operating temperatures - and also produced PERC panels for residential and commercial customers across more than 30 countries at its peak. Manufacturing at several AKCOME subsidiaries was suspended in 2024, casting serious doubt on current product availability and warranty continuity.

For a typical buyer in 2025, Runda Solar is the more prudent choice by default - not because its products are demonstrably superior to what AKCOME once offered, but because AKCOME's solvency and production continuity are now genuinely uncertain. Runda is an active, mid-tier manufacturer with a functioning supply chain, credible certifications, and an export track record across Europe and Asia. Buyers sourcing for utility or large C&I projects should still prioritize BloombergNEF Tier 1-listed manufacturers over either brand, but between these two, Runda presents far lower counterparty risk in 2025.

Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-26