---
title: "First Solar vs AE Solar - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare First Solar vs AE Solar solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/first-solar-vs-ae-solar"
---

# First Solar vs AE Solar

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 63 models). AE Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.43%. AE Solar leans bifacial (63% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | First Solar | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | USA | Germany |
| Headquarters | Tempe, AZ | Gersthofen |
| Founded | 1999 | 2003 |
| Employees | 5500-8100 | 501-1000 |
| Annual capacity | 21+ GW/year | 2+ GW/year |
| Tier 1 | yes | yes |
| Listed | NASDAQ: FSLR |  |
| Website | [https://www.firstsolar.com](https://www.firstsolar.com) | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) |

First Solar is a leading American solar technology company and global provider of responsibly produced eco-efficient solar modules, advancing the fight against climate change. The company manufactures thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules using cadmium telluride (CdTe) semiconductor technology. First Solar is unique...

AE Solar is a German Tier 1 manufacturer of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company specializes in producing durable and innovative solar panels with German engineering standards, offering solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications. AE Solar operates in over 100 countries and...


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | First Solar | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 63 | 646 | +583 |
| Max Power | 550 W | 730 W | +180 W |
| Avg Power | 481 W | 489 W | +8 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | First Solar | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 19.70% | 24.43% | +4.73 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 18.56% | 21.11% | +2.55 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | First Solar | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.320%/°C | -0.312%/°C | +0.008 |
| Bifacial Share | 12 (19%) | 405 (63%) | +44 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 29.3 yrs | 29.7 yrs | +0.4 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

AE Solar skews to higher efficiency: 9% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | First Solar | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 63 (100.0%) | 74 (11.5%) |
| 20-21% | 0 | 171 (26.5%) |
| 21-22% | 0 | 142 (22.0%) |
| 22-23% | 0 | 199 (30.8%) |
| 23%+ | 0 | 60 (9.3%) |


## Power distribution

AE Solar offers more 600W+ panels (13% of lineup)


| Power band | First Solar | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400-499W | 44 (69.8%) | 329 (50.9%) |
| 500-599W | 19 (30.2%) | 154 (23.8%) |
| \<400W | 0 | 78 (12.1%) |
| 600-699W | 0 | 55 (8.5%) |
| 700W+ | 0 | 30 (4.6%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **CdTe** (81%)

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (54%)


| Technology | First Solar | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CdTe | 51 (81.0%) | 0 |
| Unknown | 12 (19.0%) | 0 |
| TOPCon | 0 | 349 (54.0%) |
| PERC | 0 | 245 (37.9%) |
| Back Contact | 0 | 21 (3.3%) |
| N-type | 0 | 17 (2.6%) |
| BIPV | 0 | 9 (1.4%) |
| HJT | 0 | 5 (0.8%) |


## Top panels, First Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [FS-7550A-TR1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7550a-tr1) | 550 | 19.7 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 2 | [FS-7550A-FT1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7550a-ft1) | 550 | 19.7 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 3 | [FS-7545A-TR1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7545a-tr1) | 545 | 19.5 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 4 | [FS-7545A-FT1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7545a-ft1) | 545 | 19.5 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 5 | [FS-7540A-TR1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7540a-tr1) | 540 | 19.3 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 6 | [FS-7540A-FT1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7540a-ft1) | 540 | 19.3 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 7 | [FS-7535A-TR1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7535a-tr1) | 535 | 19.1 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 8 | [FS-7535A-FT1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7535a-ft1) | 535 | 19.1 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 9 | [FS-7532A-FT1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7532a-ft1) | 532 | 19.0 | -0.320 | Thin film |
| 10 | [FS-7530A-TR1](https://comparepv.com/panel/first-solar-fs-7530a-tr1) | 530 | 19.0 | -0.320 | Thin film |


## Top panels, AE Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CME-132BDS-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [CME-132BDS-730W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730w) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [CME-132BDS-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [CME-132-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [CME-132BDS-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [AE CME-132 720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [CME-132BDS-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [AE CME-132-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720-1) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [CME-132-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [CME-132BDS-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar was founded in 2003 in Königsbrunn, Germany by the Maier brothers, and has grown into a Tier 1 bankable manufacturer with a production capacity exceeding 2 GW and a workforce of 500 to 1,000 employees. The company operates manufacturing facilities in China, Georgia, and Turkey - including a new 750 MW Turkish plant opened in January 2025 - and distributes products across more than 100 markets worldwide. First Solar, founded in 1999 and headquartered in the United States, is a publicly traded company listed on NASDAQ with a substantially larger global footprint: production capacity exceeding 21 GW and between 5,500 and 8,100 employees. First Solar operates factories in the USA, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam, and commands more than 30% of the US utility-scale PV market. Both manufacturers carry Tier 1 bankable status, though they differ markedly in scale, geographic focus, and underlying technology philosophy.

AE Solar's portfolio of 442 panels is built predominantly around crystalline silicon, with TOPCon cells representing roughly 50% of its lineup. Modules reach a maximum efficiency of 24.43% and an average of 21.34%, with more than 63% of the range being bifacial and peak output reaching 730 Wp. This breadth makes AE Solar well suited to residential rooftop installations, commercial and industrial (C&I) projects, and small-to-medium ground-mount systems where high power density per square meter is a priority. The company received the Kiwa PVEL Top Performer Award 2025 and was the first DIBt-certified Tier 1 manufacturer, reinforcing its credibility in quality-sensitive European markets. First Solar's 63-panel catalog is focused almost entirely - over 80% - on its proprietary cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film technology. While CdTe modules top out at 550 Wp and 19.7% efficiency, they offer a warranty-backed annual degradation rate of 0.3%, strong performance under diffuse light conditions, and significantly lower embodied energy compared to crystalline silicon - advantages that translate directly into compelling levelized cost of energy (LCOE) figures for large utility-scale solar farms.

Buyers choosing between the two face a clear segmentation decision. AE Solar is the stronger fit for European residential, C&I, and distributed generation markets, where module versatility, bifacial gain, and high efficiency per square meter are decisive factors. First Solar is the preferred partner for utility-scale developers - particularly in the United States, where its domestic manufacturing qualifies projects for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives - as well as large international solar farms where thin-film economics, gigawatt-scale supply reliability, and strong environmental credentials align with project requirements.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


## Other comparisons

- [First Solar vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/first-solar-vs-a-b-energy)
- [AEET vs AE Solar](https://comparepv.com/aeet-vs-ae-solar)
- [First Solar vs AIKO](https://comparepv.com/first-solar-vs-aiko)
- [AKCOME vs AE Solar](https://comparepv.com/akcome-vs-ae-solar)
- [First Solar vs ARTsolar](https://comparepv.com/first-solar-vs-artsolar)
- [ASM vs AE Solar](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-ae-solar)


---

Source: https://comparepv.com/first-solar-vs-ae-solar

Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.