---
title: "AU Optronics vs Leapton - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare AU Optronics vs Leapton solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/au-optronics-vs-leapton"
---

# AU Optronics vs Leapton

Leapton has the broader catalog (119 vs 1 models). Leapton leads on peak efficiency at 23.32%. Leapton leans bifacial (49% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | AU Optronics | Leapton |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Taiwan | Japan |
| Headquarters | Hsinchu | Kobe |
| Founded | 1996 | 2012 |
| Employees | 41000+ |  |
| Annual capacity |  | 3+ GW/year |
| Tier 1 | yes | yes |
| Listed | TWSE (Taiwan Stock Exchange): 2409 |  |
| Website | [https://www.auo.com/en-global](https://www.auo.com/en-global) | [http://www.leaptonpv.com/](http://www.leaptonpv.com/) |

AU Optronics (AUO) is a technology-driven company based in Taiwan, specializing in optoelectronics and display solutions. They deliver products and services that advance innovation in areas like display technology, system solutions, industrial intelligence, healthcare, and energy. AUO operates globally across Asia...

Leapton Energy, headquartered in Japan, is a global leader in the solar PV industry, specializing in Tier-1 solar modules, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and inverters. With over 10 years of experience, Leapton Energy's products are now available in more than 70 countries worldwide.


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | AU Optronics | Leapton | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 1 | 119 | +118 |
| Max Power | 170 W | 720 W | +550 W |
| Avg Power | 170 W | 546 W | +376 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | AU Optronics | Leapton | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 16.00% | 23.32% | +7.32 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 16.00% | 22.18% | +6.18 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | AU Optronics | Leapton | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.438%/°C | -0.307%/°C | +0.131 |
| Bifacial Share | 0 (0%) | 58 (49%) | +49 pp |
| Avg Warranty | - | 29.5 yrs |  |


## Efficiency distribution

Leapton skews to higher efficiency: 7% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | AU Optronics | Leapton |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 1 (100.0%) | 0 |
| 20-21% | 0 | 5 (4.2%) |
| 21-22% | 0 | 32 (26.9%) |
| 22-23% | 0 | 74 (62.2%) |
| 23%+ | 0 | 8 (6.7%) |


## Power distribution

Leapton offers more 600W+ panels (32% of lineup)


| Power band | AU Optronics | Leapton |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 1 (100.0%) | 0 |
| 400-499W | 0 | 48 (40.3%) |
| 500-599W | 0 | 33 (27.7%) |
| 600-699W | 0 | 28 (23.5%) |
| 700W+ | 0 | 10 (8.4%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (88%)


| Technology | AU Optronics | Leapton |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unknown | 1 (100.0%) | 0 |
| TOPCon | 0 | 105 (88.2%) |
| N-type | 0 | 14 (11.8%) |


## Top panels, AU Optronics


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [ASM170M](https://comparepv.com/panel/au-optronics-asm170m) | 170 | 16.0 | -0.438 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Leapton


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NH-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nh-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NB-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nb-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NH-715W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nh-715w) | 715 | 23.1 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NB-715W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nb-715w) | 715 | 23.1 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NH-710W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nh-710w) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NB-710W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nb-710w) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NH-705W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nh-705w) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NB-705W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nb-705w) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NH-700W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nh-700w) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [LP210\*210-M-66-NB-700W](https://comparepv.com/panel/leapton-lp210-210-m-66-nb-700w) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AU Optronics is a Taiwan-headquartered electronics conglomerate, based in Hsinchu, best known globally as a display-panel maker, which entered the green-energy space by forming a dedicated Solar Photovoltaic Business Unit in 2009 after first moving into the sector in 2008. Its solar module line, marketed under names such as SunPrimo, exists alongside ingot, wafer and module manufacturing, and the division turned profitable in the early 2020s, but detailed independent bankability data such as a confirmed BloombergNEF Tier 1 listing is harder to verify from public sources, reflecting that solar is a secondary rather than core business for the company. Leapton, by contrast, was founded in 2012 in Kobe, Japan, with panel manufacturing based in Changshu, China, and has built a specifically solar-focused identity; it holds a BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability rating and performed well in the 2024 PVEL Module Reliability Scorecard across thermal cycling, mechanical stress, hail and LID and LETID testing. On institutional footprint, Leapton currently presents the clearer, better-documented bankability and quality-assurance record among the two, while AU Optronics brings the broader financial scale of a large Taiwanese electronics group but a less solar-centric profile.

In terms of product range, Leapton offers a substantial catalog, over a hundred SKUs, aimed at both residential and commercial rooftops, with monocrystalline modules reporting average efficiencies around 22 percent and a standard 25-year performance warranty near 80.68 percent retained output, positioning it as a value-to-mid-range but technically competitive option with established after-sales support in markets like Australia and Ireland. AU Optronics' solar modules are positioned more narrowly, tied to its own project development and system integration services alongside direct module sales, making it less visible as a pure-play panel brand for independent installers and more associated with vertically integrated or utility and commercial project work in Taiwan and partner markets.

For a typical residential or small commercial buyer in 2025, Leapton is the more straightforward default: it has clearer third-party verification of bankability and reliability testing, a wider standard product catalog, and more established installer support networks. AU Optronics may still suit buyers already working within its broader ecosystem of projects or Taiwanese supply chains, but it is not a direct, like-for-like competitor in the mainstream module market the way Leapton is.

\---LINKS---

\- https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/leapton-solar-panels-review/ \| Leapton Solar Panels Review: Tier 1 Panels Made In China \| review

\- https://8msolar.com/leapton-solar-panel-expert-review/ \| Leapton Solar Panel Expert Review \| review

\- https://assets.bnef.com/public/tiering/solarmodules.pdf \| BloombergNEF Tier 1 Solar Module Methodology \| article

\- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AUO\_Corporation \| AUO Corporation company history and business segments \| article

\- https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2021/12/10/2003769296 \| AUO solar power branch profitable for second year \| article

Written by claude-sonnet-5 from the figures above.


## Other comparisons

- [AU Optronics vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/au-optronics-vs-a-b-energy)
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- [AIKO vs Leapton](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-leapton)
- [AU Optronics vs AKCOME](https://comparepv.com/au-optronics-vs-akcome)
- [ARTsolar vs Leapton](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-leapton)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/au-optronics-vs-leapton

Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.