ET Solar vs AKCOME - solar panel manufacturer comparison

AKCOME and ET Solar are both Chinese manufacturers with no current Tier 1 bankability standing, meaning neither appears on BloombergNEF's list of modules that have secured non-recourse project financing across multiple banks. AKCOME, founded in 2003 and headquartered in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, has pursued aggressive vertical integration with a reported 10 GW HJT production facility and planned capacity of 8.2 GW dedicated to heterojunction technology. ET Solar, founded in 2005, has a reported cumulative shipment record exceeding 7.2 GW worldwide, but the company's institutional footprint is considerably weaker: it filed for bankruptcy and went through a roughly 20-month hiatus before relaunching, with ongoing warranty-claim difficulties reported by installers in several markets. On institutional standing, AKCOME holds the marginal edge, though neither manufacturer offers the financial security of an established Tier 1 name.

In terms of portfolio character, the two lineups diverge sharply. AKCOME's three-panel range is built entirely on HJT cell technology, delivering an average output of 672 Wp with a peak of 700 Wp and an average module efficiency of 21.6%, topping out at 22.5%. Every panel in the range is bifacial, and the temperature coefficient averages -0.24%/°C - one of the lowest figures available in the industry, making these modules well-suited to hot climates and high-irradiance sites. The average warranty across the range is 30 years. ET Solar's ten-panel PERC lineup is smaller in both power and efficiency: average output of 543 Wp with a ceiling of 555 Wp, average efficiency of 21.0% and a maximum of 21.4%. Half the lineup is bifacial. The temperature coefficient is notably worse at -0.34%/°C, and the average warranty is 27.5 years. AKCOME's modules fit premium rooftop or ground-mount projects where space efficiency and thermal performance matter; ET Solar's PERC range targets budget-conscious commercial rooftops where procurement cost is the primary driver.

For a typical buyer evaluating these two brands in 2025, AKCOME presents the stronger technical proposition on nearly every metric - higher wattage, higher efficiency, superior temperature behavior, a fully bifacial catalog, and a longer warranty. The significant caveat is AKCOME's own recent visibility issues, including its removal from the TaiyangNews TOP SOLAR MODULES listing in early 2025 when its website became inaccessible. ET Solar carries its own legacy risk from its bankruptcy history. Neither manufacturer is an unambiguous safe choice for large projects requiring long-term after-sales support; buyers prioritizing bankability should consider stepping up to a Tier 1 manufacturer. If the choice is strictly between these two, AKCOME's HJT technology and product specs make it the better option for performance-focused installations, while ET Solar's PERC panels remain a lower-cost fallback only where project scale is small and warranty risk is acceptable.

Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-11