Canadian Solar vs Yingli - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Canadian Solar has the broader catalog (292 vs 196 models). Canadian Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.40%. Yingli leans bifacial (57% 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
Yingli Solar, also known as Yingli Green Energy, is a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated PV manufacturers. The company develops, manufactures, and sells PV modules to a wide range of markets. Yingli's mission is to provide affordable green energy for all.
- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Baoding, Hebei, China
- Annual capacity
- 2.45 GW/year
- Employees
- 9000+
- Listed
- OTC Pink: YGEHY
- 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
Yingli skews to higher efficiency: 21% of lineup is 23%+
Yingli offers more 600W+ panels (37% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (67%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (32%)
The flagships
Written summary
Canadian Solar was founded in 2001 by Dr. Shawn Qu in Ontario, Canada, and has been NASDAQ-listed since 2006. The company consistently holds BloombergNEF Tier 1 status and was included on the S&P Global Commodity Insights Premier List of Tier 1 Cleantech Companies in 2025. Its module manufacturing capacity targets exceed 51 GW annually, placing it among the five to seven largest module suppliers globally by shipment volume. Yingli, headquartered in Baoding, Hebei, China, has operated since 1998 and was once counted among the world's top solar manufacturers before a severe financial crisis between roughly 2015 and 2020. The company returned to the BloombergNEF Tier 1 list in 2022 and by 2025 was reporting a production capacity of around 30 GW with annual sales of approximately 25 GW, though independent estimates vary across sources. On institutional footprint and financial continuity, Canadian Solar holds a clear advantage.
Canadian Solar's current product range centers on n-type TOPCon technology. Its HiKu7 line targets utility-scale ground-mount projects using bifacial modules, while the TopHiKu6 series is aimed at commercial and industrial (C&I) buyers. Yingli competes primarily through its PANDA 3.0 series, which uses n-type TOPCon cells and delivers module efficiency of around 22.4%, alongside older PERC modules under the YLM 3.0 Plus label. The PANDA range is marketed across both residential rooftop and utility-scale segments, positioning Yingli as a broad-market supplier rather than a specialist in any single application tier.
For most international buyers, Canadian Solar is the more straightforward default - its stronger balance sheet, uninterrupted public listing, and consistent Tier 1 bankability simplify project financing and lender approval. Yingli is a credible alternative, particularly where a reliable local distributor backs the warranty and no third-party financing is involved. When lender sign-off or export credit insurance is required, Canadian Solar's track record typically tips the decision. For self-financed installations evaluated purely on module performance, the two brands are broadly interchangeable on comparable n-type TOPCon products.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-28
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 38 Canadian Solar offers · See 6 Yingli 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.