--- title: "ASM vs Sonnen - Brand Comparison | ComparePV" description: "Compare ASM vs Sonnen solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background." source: "https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-sonnen" --- # ASM vs Sonnen ASM has the broader catalog (1 vs 0 models). ## The two companies | Attribute | ASM | Sonnen | | --- | --- | --- | | Country | Australia | Germany | | Headquarters | Hallam, Victoria | Wildpoldsried | | Founded | 2009 | 2010 | | Employees | 1-10 | 1000-2000 | | Annual capacity | | | | Tier 1 | no | | | Listed | | | | Website | [https://www.australiansolarmanufacturing.com.au](https://www.australiansolarmanufacturing.com.au) | [https://sonnengroup.com](https://sonnengroup.com) | 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... Sonnen is a German energy storage technology company specializing in intelligent home battery systems, most notably the sonnenBatterie — the world's first all-in-one lithium-ion home battery system commercially available. The company also develops virtual power plant (VPP) solutions and energy community platforms... ## Catalog & Power | Measure | ASM | Sonnen | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Panel Models | 1 | 0 | +1 | | Max Power | 170 W | 0 W | +170 W | | Avg Power | 170 W | 0 W | +170 W | ## Efficiency | Measure | ASM | Sonnen | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Max Efficiency | 16.00% | - | | | Avg Efficiency | 16.00% | - | | ## Reliability & Warranty | Measure | ASM | Sonnen | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.438%/°C | - | | | Bifacial Share | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | | | Avg Warranty | - | - | | ## Efficiency distribution | Efficiency band | ASM | Sonnen | | --- | --- | --- | | \<20% | 1 (100.0%) | 0 | ## Power distribution | Power band | ASM | Sonnen | | --- | --- | --- | | \<400W | 1 (100.0%) | 0 | ## Cell technology | Technology | ASM | Sonnen | | --- | --- | --- | | Unknown | 1 (100.0%) | 0 | ## Top panels, ASM | # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [ASM170M](https://comparepv.com/panel/australian-solar-manufacturing-asm170m) | 170 | 16.0 | -0.438 | Monocrystalline | ## Summary ASM (Australian Solar Manufacturing Pty Ltd) is a small-scale panel assembler based in Australia, producing crystalline monocrystalline modules assembled domestically from imported components such as EVA, glass, junction boxes, and aluminum frames. Its product range sits in the 170-200 W power class, firmly targeting the residential and small-commercial Australian market. ASM does not appear on major Tier 1 or BloombergNEF bankability lists, and its annual production volume is modest by global standards. Sonnen is a German energy company founded in 2010 in Wildpoldsried, Bavaria, originally operating as PROSOL Invest Deutschland GmbH before rebranding around its battery product. Shell acquired Sonnen in 2019 for a reported sum in the hundreds of millions of euros, giving the brand considerably stronger institutional backing than ASM. On overall market footprint, Sonnen is the more widely recognized name globally. A direct module-to-module comparison is complicated by the fact that these two brands do not occupy the same product category. ASM is a solar panel manufacturer in the conventional sense, selling standalone photovoltaic modules to Australian installers and homeowners. Sonnen, by contrast, is primarily known for its lithium iron phosphate home battery systems, which offer 10-year warranties and more than 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. No independent industry source reviewed for this comparison confirmed that Sonnen manufactures or brands its own photovoltaic cells or modules - any solar panels offered under its name appear to be sourced from third parties and bundled into integrated solar-plus-storage packages. For a buyer seeking standalone solar panels, ASM is the relevant choice between the two, though the lack of Tier 1 bankability and limited production scale warrant careful scrutiny of warranty backstop risk. For a buyer seeking a smart home energy system with integrated storage, Sonnen is the stronger option, backed by a decade of battery-specific engineering. These two brands are not interchangeable and serve fundamentally different buyer needs. \---LINKS--- \- https://www.enfsolar.com/asm \| Australian Solar Manufacturing profile - ENF Solar database \| article \- https://www.solarfeeds.com/biz/australian-solar-manufacturing-pty-ltd/ \| ASM company overview - production capacity and Tier status \| article \- https://www.energy-storage.news/shell-putting-residential-storage-and-vpp-firm-sonnen-up-for-sale-reports/ \| Shell puts sonnen up for sale - Energy Storage News \| article \- https://www.energy-storage.news/why-shell-bought-sonnen-value-is-in-behind-the-meter-potential/ \| Why Shell bought sonnen - behind-the-meter value analysis \| article Sources: \- \[Australian Solar Manufacturing profile - ENF Solar\](https://www.enfsolar.com/asm) \- \[ASM company overview - SolarFeeds\](https://www.solarfeeds.com/biz/australian-solar-manufacturing-pty-ltd/) \- \[Shell puts sonnen up for sale - Energy Storage News\](https://www.energy-storage.news/shell-putting-residential-storage-and-vpp-firm-sonnen-up-for-sale-reports/) \- \[Why Shell bought sonnen - Energy Storage News\](https://www.energy-storage.news/why-shell-bought-sonnen-value-is-in-behind-the-meter-potential/) Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above. ## Other comparisons - [ASM vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-a-b-energy) - [AE Solar vs Sonnen](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-sonnen) - [ASM vs AEET](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-aeet) - [AIKO vs Sonnen](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-sonnen) - [ASM vs AKCOME](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-akcome) - [ARTsolar vs Sonnen](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-sonnen) --- Source: https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-sonnen Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.