Canadian Solar vs ET Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 10 models). Canadian Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.40%.
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
Canadian Solar Inc. is a global renewable energy company founded in 2001. Headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, it manufactures solar PV modules and provides battery energy storage solutions. The company also develops utility-scale solar power and battery energy storage projects.
- Founded
- 2001
- Headquarters
- Kitchener, Canada
- Annual capacity
- 51 GW/year
- Employees
- 17,113
- Listed
- NASDAQ: CSIQ
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
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
Canadian Solar skews to higher efficiency: 13% of lineup is 23%+
Canadian Solar offers more 600W+ panels (24% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (67%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (100%)
The flagships
Written summary
Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 by Dr. Shawn Qu and now operates its global headquarters in Kitchener, Ontario, while manufacturing is concentrated mainly in China and other parts of Asia along with growing US capacity. The company consistently ranks at the top of BloombergNEF's Tier 1 bankability list and is widely regarded as one of the most bankable module makers globally, with annual module production capacity exceeding 50 GW. ET Solar, founded in 2005 and headquartered in Nanjing, also appears on Tier 1 lists but operates at a much smaller scale, with reported capacity in the low single-digit GW range, placing it in a markedly different institutional tier than Canadian Solar.
Canadian Solar's product range spans residential rooftop panels, commercial and industrial installations, and utility-scale ground-mount projects, built predominantly on N-type TOPCon cells (its CS7N series) with an expanding HJT lineup under the Low Carbon HiHero brand. ET Solar's catalog leans more heavily on PERC technology with some N-type offerings, targeting smaller rooftop and commercial installations rather than large utility projects, and its technology roadmap is less publicly documented than that of its larger rival. For international buyers, Canadian Solar modules are far more commonly specified on utility and C&I projects, whereas ET Solar tends to surface in smaller distributor and installer channels.
For a typical buyer, whether a residential installer or a utility-scale developer, Canadian Solar is generally the safer default given its stronger balance sheet, longer uninterrupted supply track record, and clearer bankability credentials. Independent reviews and installer reports also flag recurring warranty-support issues with ET Solar, including difficulty reaching the company after panel failures, which further favors the more established brand for projects requiring long-term bank financing or warranty confidence.
Generated by Claude Sonnet 5 · 2026-10-02
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 39 Canadian Solar offers
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.