---
title: "Canadian Solar vs Hiwatt Solar - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare Canadian Solar vs Hiwatt Solar solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/canadian-solar-vs-hiwatt-solar"
---

# Canadian Solar vs Hiwatt Solar

Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 109 models). Canadian Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.40%. Canadian Solar leans bifacial (46% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | Canada |  |
| Headquarters | Kitchener |  |
| Founded | 2001 |  |
| Employees | 17,113 |  |
| Annual capacity | 51 GW/year |  |
| Tier 1 | yes | no |
| Listed | NASDAQ: CSIQ |  |
| Website | [https://www.canadiansolar.com](https://www.canadiansolar.com) |  |

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.


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 292 | 109 | +183 |
| Max Power | 730 W | 730 W |  |
| Avg Power | 472 W | 476 W | +4 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.40% | 23.50% | +0.90 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 20.66% | 20.60% | +0.06 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.331%/°C | -0.340%/°C | +0.009 |
| Bifacial Share | 133 (46%) | 14 (13%) | +33 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 28.2 yrs | 25.0 yrs | +3.2 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

Canadian Solar skews to higher efficiency: 13% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 128 (43.8%) | 27 (24.8%) |
| 20-21% | 36 (12.3%) | 32 (29.4%) |
| 21-22% | 41 (14.0%) | 27 (24.8%) |
| 22-23% | 50 (17.1%) | 14 (12.8%) |
| 23%+ | 37 (12.7%) | 9 (8.3%) |


## Power distribution

Canadian Solar offers more 600W+ panels (24% of lineup)


| Power band | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 104 (35.6%) | 33 (30.3%) |
| 400-499W | 72 (24.7%) | 30 (27.5%) |
| 500-599W | 45 (15.4%) | 26 (23.9%) |
| 600-699W | 64 (21.9%) | 15 (13.8%) |
| 700W+ | 7 (2.4%) | 5 (4.6%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (67%)

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (46%)


| Technology | Canadian Solar | Hiwatt Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PERC | 195 (66.8%) | 50 (45.9%) |
| TOPCon | 85 (29.1%) | 33 (30.3%) |
| HJT | 12 (4.1%) | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 21 (19.3%) |
| N-type | 0 | 5 (4.6%) |


## Top panels, Canadian Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CS7N-730TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-730tb-ag) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [CS7N-725TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-725tb-ag) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [CS7N-720TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-720tb-ag) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [CS7N-715TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-715tb-ag) | 715 | 23.0 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [CS7N-710TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-710tb-ag) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [CS7N-705TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-705tb-ag) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [CS7N-700TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-700tb-ag) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [CS7N-695TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-695tb-ag) | 695 | 22.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [CS7N-690TB-AG](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-690tb-ag) | 690 | 22.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [CS7N-675MS](https://comparepv.com/panel/csi-solar-co-ltd-canadian-solar-cs7n-675ms) | 675 | 21.7 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Hiwatt Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [HW-M12/132G-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132g-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [HW-M12/132G-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132g-725) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [HW-M12/132G-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132g-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [HW-M12/132G-715](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132g-715) | 715 | 23.0 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [HW-M12/132G-710](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132g-710) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [HW-M12/132H-670](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132h-670) | 670 | 21.6 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [HW-M12/132H-665](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132h-665) | 665 | 21.4 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [HW-M12/132H-660](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132h-660) | 660 | 21.2 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [HW-M12/132H-655](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132h-655) | 655 | 21.1 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [HW-M12/132H-650](https://comparepv.com/panel/hiwatt-solar-hw-m12-132h-650) | 650 | 20.9 | -0.340 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

Canadian Solar is a Canadian-headquartered, Nasdaq-listed manufacturer founded in 2001, with global manufacturing spread across China, Southeast Asia and the Americas and an annual production capacity of roughly 61 GW. It appears on S&P Global Commodity Insights' 2025 Tier 1 Cleantech Companies list for both PV modules and battery energy storage, reflecting a long track record of bank-financed project deliveries. Hiwatt Solar, by contrast, is a much smaller Chinese manufacturer based in Guangdong province, founded in 2009, with module production capacity around 2.2 GW per year; available sources do not confirm any BloombergNEF or S&P Tier 1 listing for the brand. On institutional footprint and scale, Canadian Solar is clearly the stronger of the two.

Canadian Solar's product range spans the HiKu series (PERC modules for residential and small-scale rooftops), the TOPHiKu and bifacial TOPBiHiKu lines built on N-type TOPCon cells for commercial and utility-scale ground-mount projects, and the HJT-based HiHero line reaching efficiencies above 24 percent. Hiwatt Solar's catalog centers on 210mm-cell modules, including double-glass bifacial panels rated up to roughly 670W and above, generally aimed at export markets and smaller installers rather than large utility developers, and independent field testing or third-party reviews for the brand remain limited compared to Canadian Solar.

For a typical international buyer - whether a residential installer or a commercial/utility developer - Canadian Solar is the safer default given its documented bankability, longer market history and broader Tier 1-grade warranty backing. Hiwatt Solar may suit price-sensitive projects that do not require bank financing, but the two brands are not institutionally interchangeable, and buyers should weigh that gap before treating Hiwatt as a like-for-like substitute.

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


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- [Canadian Solar vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/canadian-solar-vs-a-b-energy)
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- [Canadian Solar vs AEET](https://comparepv.com/canadian-solar-vs-aeet)
- [AIKO vs Hiwatt Solar](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-hiwatt-solar)
- [Canadian Solar vs AKCOME](https://comparepv.com/canadian-solar-vs-akcome)
- [ARTsolar vs Hiwatt Solar](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-hiwatt-solar)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/canadian-solar-vs-hiwatt-solar

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