--- title: "AKCOME vs Solar Frontier - Brand Comparison | ComparePV" description: "Compare AKCOME vs Solar Frontier solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background." source: "https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-solar-frontier" --- # AKCOME vs Solar Frontier AKCOME has the broader catalog (3 vs 0 models). AKCOME leans bifacial (100% of lineup). ## The two companies | Attribute | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | | --- | --- | --- | | Country | China | Japan | | Headquarters | Suzhou | Tokyo | | Founded | 2003 | 2006 | | Employees | | 1,500 | | Annual capacity | | 1 GW/year | | Tier 1 | no | | | Listed | | | | Website | [https://www.akcome.com](https://www.akcome.com) | [https://www.solar-frontier.com/eng/](https://www.solar-frontier.com/eng/) | Solar Frontier is a leading CIS thin-film solar energy company specializing in the development and manufacturing of CIS (Copper-Indium-Selenium) thin-film solar modules. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and is a fully owned subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu, now part of Idemitsu Kosan Group. Solar... ## Catalog & Power | Measure | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Panel Models | 3 | 0 | +3 | | Max Power | 700 W | 0 W | +700 W | | Avg Power | 672 W | 0 W | +672 W | ## Efficiency | Measure | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Max Efficiency | 22.54% | - | | | Avg Efficiency | 21.63% | - | | ## Reliability & Warranty | Measure | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.240%/°C | - | | | Bifacial Share | 3 (100%) | 0 (0%) | +100 pp | | Avg Warranty | 30.0 yrs | - | | ## Efficiency distribution | Efficiency band | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | | --- | --- | --- | | 21-22% | 2 (66.7%) | 0 | | 22-23% | 1 (33.3%) | 0 | ## Power distribution AKCOME offers more 600W+ panels (100% of lineup) | Power band | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | | --- | --- | --- | | 600-699W | 2 (66.7%) | 0 | | 700W+ | 1 (33.3%) | 0 | ## Cell technology Dominant cell tech: **HJT** (100%) | Technology | AKCOME | Solar Frontier | | --- | --- | --- | | HJT | 3 (100.0%) | 0 | ## Top panels, AKCOME | # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [SKA611HDGDC-700W](https://comparepv.com/panel/akcome-ska611hdgdc-700w) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 2 | [SKA611HDGDC-660W](https://comparepv.com/panel/akcome-ska611hdgdc-660w) | 660 | 21.2 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 3 | [SKA611HDGDC-655W](https://comparepv.com/panel/akcome-ska611hdgdc-655w) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | ## Summary AKCOME is a Chinese manufacturer headquartered in Jiangsu Province, founded in 2003 as part of the Jiangsu Akcome Industrial Group. The company has appeared on BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability lists, though reports from 2024 indicate it was delisted in at least one quarterly update, signaling some erosion in institutional confidence. Its confirmed module production capacity stands at approximately 3.8 GW per year. Solar Frontier is a Japanese company, established in 2006 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu (subsequently absorbed into the Idemitsu group), and built its reputation over more than a decade as one of the world's leading producers of CIS copper-indium-selenium thin-film modules. However, Solar Frontier ceased all in-house thin-film manufacturing by mid-2022, shutting down its 900 MW Kunitomi plant in Miyazaki. The company has since pivoted to OEM-sourced monocrystalline panels and repositioned itself primarily as a solar EPC and project development firm in Japan. In terms of active manufacturing scale and global supply presence, AKCOME currently holds the stronger industrial footprint. AKCOME's current portfolio centers on two mainstream cell technologies: TOPCon, available in its AK iTopper series, and HJT, featured in its AK iPower line. These modules are aimed at utility-scale ground-mount and large commercial rooftop projects. Solar Frontier, after exiting thin-film production, introduced an OEM monocrystalline residential panel, but its product offering as a panel brand remains limited and is oriented mainly toward the Japanese domestic market. The company's more active business lines now involve system integration, feasibility studies, and support for Japan's feed-in-tariff transition programs rather than module supply at scale. For a buyer outside Japan seeking a volume module supplier in 2025, AKCOME is the more relevant choice, offering confirmed crystalline silicon products at gigawatt-scale capacity. Solar Frontier is best understood today not as a global panel manufacturer but as a Japan-focused solar developer and integrator. The two brands are not meaningfully interchangeable in their current market roles. \---LINKS--- \- https://www.pv-tech.org/akcome-technologies-on-hjt-cell-production/ \| Akcome Technology on HJT cell production and copper plating processes \| article \- https://www.solarquotes.com.au/panels/akcome-review.html \| AKCOME Solar Panels - independent review \| review \- https://www.solarreviews.com/manufacturers/solar-frontier \| Solar Frontier manufacturer review - SolarReviews \| review \- https://reneweconomy.com.au/another-blow-to-thin-film-as-solar-frontier-quits-manufacturing-and-switches-sides/ \| Solar Frontier quits thin-film manufacturing and switches sides \| article \- https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/01/solar-frontier-abandons-thin-film-launches-250-w-monocrystalline-panel/ \| Solar Frontier abandons thin-film, launches monocrystalline panel \| article Sources: \- \[Akcome Technology on HJT cell production - PV Tech\](https://www.pv-tech.org/akcome-technologies-on-hjt-cell-production/) \- \[AKCOME Solar Panels Review - SolarQuotes\](https://www.solarquotes.com.au/panels/akcome-review.html) \- \[Solar Frontier Review - SolarReviews\](https://www.solarreviews.com/manufacturers/solar-frontier) \- \[Solar Frontier quits thin-film - RenewEconomy\](https://reneweconomy.com.au/another-blow-to-thin-film-as-solar-frontier-quits-manufacturing-and-switches-sides/) \- \[Solar Frontier abandons thin-film - PV Magazine\](https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/11/01/solar-frontier-abandons-thin-film-launches-250-w-monocrystalline-panel/) Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above. ## Other comparisons - [AKCOME vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-a-b-energy) - [AE Solar vs Solar Frontier](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-solar-frontier) - [AKCOME vs AEET](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-aeet) - [AIKO vs Solar Frontier](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-solar-frontier) - [AKCOME vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-artsolar) - [ASM vs Solar Frontier](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-solar-frontier) --- Source: https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-solar-frontier Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.