Clelo Tech vs Q-Cells - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Q-Cells has the broader catalog (89 vs 7 models). Clelo Tech leans bifacial (100% 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
Jiangsu Clelo Material Technologies Co., Ltd. is a Chinese solar manufacturer and system integrator based in Changshu, Suzhou, specializing in photovoltaic panels, BIPV technology, and complete PV power plant solutions. The company offers products and turnkey systems ranging from small residential installations to...
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- Changshu, China
Qcells is a renowned global provider of complete energy solutions, specializing in solar cells and modules, energy storage solutions, downstream project business, and energy retail. The company has a strong heritage dating back to its foundation in Germany and has become a leader in technology innovations. As an...
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Annual capacity
- 11.2 GW/year
- Employees
- 2000+
- Listed
- NASDAQ: HQCL
- 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
Clelo Tech skews to higher efficiency: 29% of lineup is 23%+
Clelo Tech offers more 600W+ panels (100% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>HJT</strong> (100%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (43%)
The flagships
Written summary
Clelo Tech, operating as Jiangsu Clelo Material Technologies Co., Ltd., is a Chinese manufacturer founded in 2017 and based in Jiangsu Province. It focuses on PV component sales, system integration, and technical services, offering OEM/ODM private-label production alongside its own branded modules. No confirmed Tier 1 or BloombergNEF bankability designation could be found for the company through publicly available industry reporting, placing it in the category of smaller regional or niche suppliers. Q-Cells, now operating as Hanwha Qcells under South Korea's Hanwha Group, has much deeper institutional roots - originally founded in Germany in 1999 and acquired by Hanwha in 2012. It holds a confirmed BloombergNEF "Top Tier" bankability score and was named to S&P Global's 2025 Tier 1 Cleantech Companies list. With anticipated module shipments exceeding 9 GW in 2025 and a 3.3 GW fully integrated facility in Cartersville, Georgia, Hanwha Qcells carries a significantly stronger institutional and financial footprint.
On the product side, Clelo Tech covers a broad range of applications - from 3 kW residential systems up to 100 MW utility-scale projects - and its catalog is reported to include monocrystalline, bifacial, TOPCon, IBC, and HJT panel types at high wattage (700-720 Wp range), though independent performance reviews of its branded modules are scarce. Hanwha Qcells centers its residential and commercial offering around the Q.TRON series, powered by its proprietary Q.ANTUM NEO TOPCon cell technology, which achieves efficiencies up to 23.7% in top-tier models. It also serves utility-scale buyers through the Q.PEAK DUO XL line, and all current residential models carry a 25-year product warranty with a guaranteed 85% output retention.
For a typical buyer in 2025, Hanwha Qcells is the clearer choice where warranty enforcement, bankability for project financing, and independently verified performance matter. Clelo Tech may be worth evaluating for cost-sensitive OEM or private-label procurement, but the absence of third-party reviews and confirmed Tier 1 status makes due diligence essential before committing to a large installation.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-08
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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.