Canadian Solar vs SolarWorld - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 0 models). 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
SolarWorld AG was a German photovoltaic manufacturer and one of the largest solar panel producers in the Western world, covering the full value chain from polysilicon feedstock to finished modules. The company operated major manufacturing plants in Freiberg, Germany and Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, and was once a leading...
- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Bonn, Germany
- Annual capacity
- 1-2 GW/year
- Employees
- 3000-5000
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%)
The flagships
Written summary
Canadian Solar is a publicly traded manufacturer incorporated in Ontario, Canada, with production operations primarily in China. Founded in 2001, it has grown to a module production capacity of roughly 59 GW as of mid-2025 and was named a Tier 1 PV module supplier by S&P Global Commodity Insights in 2025 - a bankability designation that matters to project financiers and lenders. SolarWorld was a German manufacturer founded in 1998 that at its peak operated one of North America's largest solar factories, in Hillsboro, Oregon. It filed for insolvency in May 2017, briefly re-emerged as SolarWorld Industries GmbH in 2018, then filed a second bankruptcy and ceased manufacturing entirely. On any current institutional measure, Canadian Solar holds the stronger footprint by a wide margin.
Canadian Solar's active lineup spans three technology tiers. The HiKu6 family uses PERC cell technology and targets cost-sensitive residential and commercial rooftop buyers. The TOPHiKu6 series upgrades to N-type TOPCon cells for premium residential applications, reaching up to 23% efficiency. The TOPBiHiKu6 line pairs N-type TOPCon with a bifacial design for commercial and utility-scale ground mounts that need maximum energy yield per unit area. SolarWorld no longer has a product roadmap - only new-old-stock and refurbished inventory is available on the secondary market, with no current cell-technology development.
For any new installation in 2025, Canadian Solar is the practical default. It is an active Tier 1-rated producer with a multi-GW manufacturing base, a current product range spanning residential through utility segments, and warranty backing from an ongoing corporate entity. SolarWorld panels installed years ago continue to perform in the field, and the brand still carries respect for its German-engineering heritage, but no new modules are entering the market and warranty coverage since 2017 has relied on third-party programs rather than direct manufacturer support - making SolarWorld a viable option only for buyers comfortable with secondary-market sourcing.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-08
Other brand comparisons
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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.