CSUN vs JA Solar - solar panel manufacturer comparison
JA Solar has the broader catalog (504 vs 35 models). JA Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.80%. JA Solar leans bifacial (47% 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
China Sunergy (CSUN) is a Chinese manufacturer of solar cells and photovoltaic modules headquartered in Nanjing, Jiangsu. The company produces high-efficiency mono- and multicrystalline solar cells and modules from production facilities in China and, historically, Turkey. It was formerly listed on NASDAQ and was...
- Founded
- 2004
- Headquarters
- Nanjing, China
- Annual capacity
- 2-3 GW/year
- Employees
- 1000-5000
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
JA Solar is a global leader in the manufacturing of high-performance photovoltaic products. Founded in 2005, the company designs, develops, manufactures, and sells solar cells and modules. JA Solar's products are used in ground-mounted power plants, commercial & industrial rooftop PV systems, and residential rooftop...
- Founded
- 2005
- Headquarters
- Beijing, China
- Annual capacity
- 100+ GW/year
- Employees
- 37,289
- Listed
- SZSE: 002459
- 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
JA Solar skews to higher efficiency: 15% of lineup is 23%+
CSUN offers more 600W+ panels (20% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (94%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (49%)
The flagships
Written summary
CSUN, formally China Sunergy, is a Chinese module manufacturer headquartered in Nanjing that has operated since 2004; it was once listed on NASDAQ but was delisted in 2016 following financial difficulties and now trades over the counter under the ticker CSUNY. The company remains operational with roughly 2.5 GW of annual production capacity spread across seven factories in China, the US, Turkey, South Korea and Vietnam, positioning it as a smaller-scale Tier 1 player. JA Solar, founded a year later in Hebei province, has grown into one of the world's largest module makers, with annual capacity reported around 100 GW and a market-leading position confirmed by a shared first place with Trinasolar in Wood Mackenzie's H1 2025 global module ranking, alongside Tier 1 recognition from S&P Global Commodity Insights. On institutional footprint and manufacturing scale, JA Solar sits well ahead of CSUN.
CSUN's catalog spans full-cell, half-cell, bifacial, ground-mount and shingled module series, backed by a 12-year product warranty and 25-year power warranty, a lineup generally suited to residential rooftops and smaller commercial jobs. JA Solar's product strategy centers on n-type TOPCon cell technology, most visibly in its DeepBlue series; the newest DeepBlue 5.0 generation, entering mass production in Q4 2025, delivers modules rated 640 to 670 W with efficiencies up to roughly 24.5 percent, with variants tailored for residential, commercial and utility-scale ground-mount deployments.
For a typical international buyer, JA Solar is generally the safer default given its far larger production scale, stronger bankability track record, and current-generation TOPCon technology. CSUN remains a viable option for smaller-scale projects, but its history of financial distress and comparatively limited capacity mean buyers should weigh higher counterparty risk against market leaders like JA Solar rather than treat the two brands as interchangeable.
Generated by Claude Sonnet 5 · 2026-08-17
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 1 CSUN offer · See 390 JA Solar 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.