ASM vs SMA Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
ASM has the broader catalog (1 vs 0 models).
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
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
SMA Solar Technology AG is a leading German manufacturer of solar inverters for photovoltaic systems, serving residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications worldwide. Founded in 1981, the company is the largest solar technology company in Europe by revenue and operates in over 190 countries. SMA focuses...
- Founded
- 1981
- Headquarters
- Niestetal, Germany
- Employees
- 3000-5000
- Listed
- ETR: S92
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
The flagships
Written summary
ASM, formally Australian Solar Manufacturing, is a small module assembler founded in 2009 and headquartered in Victoria, Australia. The company assembles monocrystalline crystalline panels from components sourced internationally - including from Germany, Japan, the United States, and China - but does not manufacture photovoltaic cells itself. ASM does not appear on any Tier 1 or Bloomberg New Energy Finance bankability list; its project financing track record and annual output are too limited to meet the criteria those designations require. SMA Solar Technology AG is a German energy-equipment company founded in 1981 and headquartered in Niestetal, Hesse. A critical distinction: SMA does not manufacture solar panels at all - it designs and sells solar inverters and energy-management systems. As of 2025, Wood Mackenzie ranks SMA among the top three global inverter suppliers, with inverter output sold reaching approximately 19.9 GW that year. SMA holds the decisively stronger institutional footprint of the two brands, operating as a publicly listed company with a global sales and service network.
Because ASM produces panels and SMA produces inverters, the two address entirely different components of a photovoltaic installation and are not directly interchangeable. ASM's catalog centers on entry-level monocrystalline modules in the 170-200 Wp power class - a specification range that reflects earlier-generation technology and is suited mainly to budget-conscious or locally sourced residential projects within Australia. SMA's product families span the full deployment spectrum: the Sunny Boy line serves residential rooftops, Sunny Tripower and Sunny Highpower address commercial and industrial loads, and Sunny Central is specified in utility-scale ground-mount and project-finance transactions worldwide.
For a typical 2025 buyer, these brands answer different purchasing questions entirely - one selects ASM when choosing panels and SMA when choosing an inverter. Within its own category, SMA is a globally proven, bankable choice. ASM is a niche domestic assembler with limited visibility outside Australia; buyers requiring panel bankability would be better served by a mainstream Tier 1 module manufacturer paired separately with an SMA inverter.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-10
Other brand comparisons
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.