Canadian Solar vs Hyundai - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 65 models). Canadian Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.40%. Hyundai leans bifacial (66% of lineup).
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
HD Hyundai Energy Solutions is a global provider of solar cells and modules, offering solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects. They provide monofacial, bifacial, and shingled PV modules, along with inverters and various PV solutions. The company is committed to developing next-generation...
- Founded
- 2004
- Headquarters
- Seongnam-si, South Korea
- Annual capacity
- 1.35 GW/year
- Employees
- 206
- 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>HJT</strong> (38%)
The flagships
Written summary
Canadian Solar is a Canadian manufacturer founded in 2001 and listed on NASDAQ since 2006, headquartered in Guelph, Ontario, though most of its manufacturing takes place in China and Southeast Asia. It holds Tier 1 bankability status on BloombergNEF's list and was named to S&P Global Commodity Insights' Premier List of Tier 1 Cleantech Companies, with annual production capacity of roughly 61 GW and nearly 165 GW of modules shipped cumulatively over more than two decades. Hyundai Energy Solutions, part of the HD Hyundai group, is a South Korean manufacturer that also appears on BloombergNEF's Tier 1 list but operates at a much smaller scale, with annual production capacity of around 1.4 GW. In terms of institutional footprint and manufacturing scale, Canadian Solar is clearly the larger and more established player.
Canadian Solar's lineup spans the HiKu, BiHiKu and TOPHiKu series for residential rooftops, alongside the HiKu7, BiHiKu7 and TOPBiHiKu6 series aimed at commercial and utility-scale ground-mount projects, with the company increasingly shifting toward N-type TOPCon cells that deliver higher efficiency and lower degradation than older PERC designs. Hyundai focuses primarily on the residential and smaller commercial segment through its XG, YH and UF series, mostly built on PERC cells with a shingled layout that improves shade tolerance and reduces the risk of micro-cracks and hot spots, with efficiency typically in the 20.5-21% range.
For a typical international buyer, Canadian Solar is generally the safer default choice given its larger production base, broader product range across residential, commercial and utility applications, and longer track record, which tends to translate into easier sourcing and stronger after-sales support. Hyundai remains a credible, Tier 1 alternative for residential rooftop projects where shade tolerance is a priority, but it operates at a smaller scale with a narrower product portfolio.
Generated by Claude Sonnet 5 · 2026-08-25
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 39 Canadian Solar offers · See 42 Hyundai 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.