Australian Solar Manufacturing vs ARTsolar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Both brands are closely matched on catalog size, efficiency and bifacial share - the choice comes down to local availability, price and specific model features.
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 manufacturer of solar panels and PV modules, based in Hallam, Victoria. The company focuses on producing locally made solar panels for the Australian residential and commercial market. It is a niche player with a very limited production scale compared to large...
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Hallam, Victoria, Australia
- Employees
- 1-10
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
Written summary
Australian Solar Manufacturing is a small module assembler founded around 2009 and headquartered in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The company was an early mover in domestic Australian panel production, specialising in modules assembled from imported components - cells, EVA, glass, and aluminium frames - rather than vertically integrated cell manufacturing. Public information on its current production scale is very limited, and it does not appear on BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability lists. ARTsolar, by contrast, was founded in 2010 in Durban (New Germany, KwaZulu-Natal), South Africa, and has grown into the country's only locally owned solar panel manufacturer. It operates a facility with a stated capacity of up to 300 MW per year, has attracted loans from South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation, and holds TUV SUD and ISO certifications. The company has pursued technology partnerships with LONGi, JA Solar, and Talesun to secure bankable bill-of-materials - a status its factory is described as capable of achieving, though an independent BloombergNEF Tier 1 listing for ARTsolar itself was not confirmed in available sources. On institutional footprint, ARTsolar has the stronger documented standing of the two.
In terms of product focus, Australian Solar Manufacturing built its early reputation around 190-200 W modules aimed at residential and small commercial rooftops, a power class that is now firmly legacy territory. ARTsolar offers a considerably broader portfolio spanning roughly 100 Wp to 600 Wp, with confirmed N-type TOPCon products at the 500-600 W range achieving efficiencies cited around 23 percent. Its primary market is the South African residential and commercial sector, with utility-scale supply credentials demonstrated through a 75 MW project with Juwi Renewable Energies.
For a buyer active in either the Australian or South African market in 2025, ARTsolar represents the more technically current option with a verifiable manufacturing base, modern cell technology, and a longer performance warranty. Australian Solar Manufacturing's public profile is thin enough that it is difficult to recommend it with confidence for any sizable project; buyers in Australia would likely find better-documented domestic or near-domestic alternatives. The two brands serve different geographies and different scales, making a direct head-to-head comparison largely academic.
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.