Canadian Solar vs Panasonic - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 25 models). Canadian Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.40%. Canadian Solar leans bifacial (46% 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
Panasonic is a global leader in the development of innovative technologies and solutions for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, industry, communications, and energy sectors. The company was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita and has been committed to enhancing the quality...
- Founded
- 1918
- Headquarters
- Kadoma, near Ōsaka, Japan
- Annual capacity
- 1+ GW/year
- Employees
- 9,500+
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> (88%)
The flagships
Written summary
Canadian Solar is a Canada-headquartered manufacturer, publicly listed on NASDAQ since 2006, with manufacturing concentrated in China through its CSI Solar subsidiary. It appears on multiple Tier 1 bankability lists, including the S&P Global Commodity Insights Premier List of Tier 1 Cleantech Companies for both 2025 and 2026, and operates at massive scale, with module production capacity around 59-61 GW annually, placing it among the largest module suppliers globally. Panasonic, a Japanese electronics conglomerate historically recognized for its patented HIT/heterojunction cell technology, announced in April 2025 that it was fully discontinuing its solar panel and battery storage business worldwide, citing a strategic realignment and intense price pressure from Chinese manufacturers. On institutional footprint and current production scale, Canadian Solar holds a clear advantage, simply because Panasonic no longer manufactures panels.
Canadian Solar's active catalog spans TOPCon n-type modules (including the TOPHiKu6 and TOPBiHiKu7 lines, plus the 2025-generation TOPCon 2.0 rated up to 660 Wp and roughly 24.4 percent efficiency) aimed at residential, commercial and industrial (C&I), and utility-scale ground-mount projects, alongside the HiHero series built on heterojunction (HJT) cells for high-yield bifacial rooftop and large-scale installations. Panasonic's legacy EverVolt HJT line, rated around 22.2 percent efficiency and 420-430 W and latterly manufactured by REC Group, targeted the premium residential rooftop segment, but it is no longer available for new purchase, though Panasonic says it will continue honoring existing warranties.
For a buyer evaluating new installations today, Canadian Solar is the practical default, given its active production, broad product range, and ongoing technology development. Panasonic is effectively out of the running as a purchasing option and should only be considered in the context of warranty support for panels already installed, not as a candidate for a new project.
Generated by Claude Sonnet 5 · 2026-09-21
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 40 Canadian Solar offers · See 3 Panasonic 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.