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ASM vs KB Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison

ASM
Australia Founded 2009
Read the ASM review
VS
KB Solar
Headquarters not published
Read the KB Solar review
At a glance

KB Solar has the broader catalog (5 vs 1 models). KB Solar leads on peak efficiency at 20.90%. KB Solar leans bifacial (100% 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.

Panel models
1 5
Highest power
170 Wp 385 Wp
Best efficiency
16.0% 20.9%
Average efficiency
16.0% 20.4%
Bifacial share
0% 100%
Average warranty
- 30 yrs
01

The two companies

Company facts, not datasheet figures
ASM

Australian Solar Manufacturing (ASM) is a small Australian solar panel assembler that produces crystalline monocrystalline modules domestically using components sourced from Germany, Japan, the USA, and China. The company focuses on providing locally assembled PV modules tailored to Australian conditions, supporting...

Founded
2009
Headquarters
Hallam, Victoria, Australia
Employees
1-10
02

Catalogue against catalogue

Averages over every model in the database
Metric ASM KB Solar
Catalog & Power
Panel Models 1 5+4
Max Power 170 W 385 W+215 W
Avg Power 170 W 375 W+205 W
Efficiency
Max Efficiency 16.00% 20.90%+4.90 pp
Avg Efficiency 16.00% 20.38%+4.38 pp
Reliability & Warranty
Avg Temp Coefficient -0.438%/°C -0.330%/°C+0.108
Bifacial Share 0 (0%) 5 (100%)+100 pp
Avg Warranty - 30.0 yrs

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.

03

What each of them builds

Cell technology across the market
Efficiency spread
Share of each catalogue in every efficiency band
Power spread
Share of each catalogue in every power band
ASM cell technology
Share of their models by cell architecture
KB Solar cell technology
Share of their models by cell architecture

Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (100%)

04

The flagships

Highest-power models from each brand
05

Written summary

Checking cache...

ASM Solar is an Australian solar installation and electrical company headquartered in Chipping Norton, New South Wales, founded around 2010. Web searches return no evidence that ASM Solar manufactures its own panels; rather, it operates as a commercial solar installer and integrator, serving clients across Australia and the Middle East with over 2,000 completed projects. It does not appear on any BloombergNEF Tier 1 module manufacturer list, which is consistent with it being a downstream installer rather than a module producer. KB Solar, by contrast, is a small US-based panel manufacturer, wholesaler, and distributor based in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It manufactures panels locally, sells wholesale to dealers and installers, and operates at a niche regional scale with no publicly confirmed GW-level production capacity or Tier 1 bankability rating. In terms of institutional footprint, neither company commands broad recognition in global module markets, but KB Solar at least occupies the manufacturer role that this comparison assumes.

KB Solar's confirmed product range consists of 375 W and 450 W modules built around 12-busbar PERC half-cell cells, available in both monofacial and bifacial configurations, with a rated efficiency of around 20.7%. These panels are aimed at residential rooftops, small commercial rooftops, and off-grid or preparedness applications - evidenced by retail listings on survival-equipment sites alongside its dealer wholesale channel. ASM Solar, as an installer, sources panels from third-party brands rather than offering a proprietary product family, so no direct product-specification comparison is possible.

For a buyer specifically seeking a US-manufactured panel at a regional scale, KB Solar fills a genuine niche with its South Carolina facility, PERC technology, and a 30-year power output warranty. ASM Solar serves a different function entirely - it is an integration and installation contractor in the Australian market - and the two brands are not meaningfully interchangeable. A buyer needing a panel manufacturer should evaluate KB Solar on its own merits against other small US producers, while a buyer in Australia seeking an installation contractor might consider ASM Solar's track record separately.

Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-24

06

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Something missing from a catalogue? Both lists are built from the datasheets in the database. If a model is absent, it has not been ingested yet.

Shop prices: See 2 KB Solar offers

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.