ASM vs SolarWorld - 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
SolarWorld AG was a German photovoltaic manufacturer and one of the largest solar panel producers in the Western world, covering the full value chain from polysilicon feedstock to finished modules. The company operated major manufacturing plants in Freiberg, Germany and Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, and was once a leading...
- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Bonn, Germany
- Annual capacity
- 1-2 GW/year
- Employees
- 3000-5000
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, short for Australian Solar Manufacturing, is a small-scale panel assembler headquartered in Australia, founded in 2009. Rather than fabricating photovoltaic cells in-house, ASM sources components from international suppliers and performs final assembly domestically. The company operates at a niche level, well below the gigawatt-scale production associated with major global manufacturers, and does not appear on BloombergNEF bankability lists. SolarWorld AG, by contrast, was founded in Germany in the late 1990s and grew into a genuinely Tier 1, internationally recognized brand with manufacturing in Freiberg, Germany and a large facility in Hillsboro, Oregon. At its peak, SolarWorld ranked among the world's largest crystalline silicon module producers. However, the company filed for insolvency in May 2017, citing sustained price erosion from Asian competitors, and its attempted revival as SolarWorld Industries GmbH also collapsed in early 2018. SolarWorld Americas was subsequently acquired by SunPower. As of 2025, SolarWorld no longer actively manufactures or sells new panels, which leaves ASM - however modest - as the only currently operating entity of the two.
ASM's catalog has historically centered on conventional monocrystalline panels in the 170-200 W range, suited mainly to small residential rooftops and off-grid Australian installations where domestically assembled product is a purchasing priority. SolarWorld built its reputation on high-quality monocrystalline modules, including the Bisun bifacial series for commercial and utility applications, and its panels carried a 20-year product warranty with a low degradation rate of 0.5% per year - ahead of the then-market standard of 0.7%.
For a buyer in 2025, neither brand represents a clean recommendation. SolarWorld panels are available only as secondhand or legacy units, making warranty support effectively void. ASM remains active but occupies a narrow Australian niche with limited independent performance data and no documented Tier 1 bankability. Buyers planning a new installation are better served by currently active, well-documented Tier 1 manufacturers than by either of these two brands.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-09
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.