---
title: "GCL vs Solar N Plus - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare GCL vs Solar N Plus solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/gcl-vs-solar-n-plus"
---

# GCL vs Solar N Plus

GCL has the broader catalog (232 vs 149 models). GCL leads on peak efficiency at 24.50%.


## The two companies


| Attribute | GCL | Solar N Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | China |  |
| Headquarters | Suzhou/Hong Kong |  |
| Founded | 1990 |  |
| Employees | 6000+ |  |
| Annual capacity | 30+ GW/year |  |
| Tier 1 | yes | no |
| Listed | Hong Kong Stock Exchange/Shenzhen Stock Exchange: 03800.HK/002506.SZ |  |
| Website | [http://www.gcltech.com/](http://www.gcltech.com/) |  |

GCL is a global company focusing on green energy and high-efficiency photovoltaic materials. They are known for their innovation in polysilicon and wafer technologies, with a focus on low-carbon solutions. GCL is committed to building a low-carbon PV value chain and advancing global clean energy transformation.


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | GCL | Solar N Plus | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 232 | 149 | +83 |
| Max Power | 740 W | 720 W | +20 W |
| Avg Power | 558 W | 506 W | +52 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | GCL | Solar N Plus | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.50% | 23.30% | +1.20 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 22.03% | 21.96% | +0.07 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | GCL | Solar N Plus | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.320%/°C | -0.316%/°C | +0.004 |
| Bifacial Share | 151 (65%) | 111 (74%) | +9 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 28.4 yrs | 29.7 yrs | +1.3 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

GCL skews to higher efficiency: 28% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | GCL | Solar N Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<20% | 2 (0.9%) | 0 |
| 20-21% | 43 (18.5%) | 21 (14.1%) |
| 21-22% | 73 (31.5%) | 42 (28.2%) |
| 22-23% | 48 (20.7%) | 70 (47.0%) |
| 23%+ | 66 (28.4%) | 16 (10.7%) |


## Power distribution

GCL offers more 600W+ panels (44% of lineup)


| Power band | GCL | Solar N Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 6 (2.6%) | 7 (4.7%) |
| 400-499W | 60 (25.9%) | 77 (51.7%) |
| 500-599W | 63 (27.2%) | 36 (24.2%) |
| 600-699W | 81 (34.9%) | 19 (12.8%) |
| 700W+ | 22 (9.5%) | 10 (6.7%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (47%)

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (56%)


| Technology | GCL | Solar N Plus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TOPCon | 108 (46.6%) | 83 (55.7%) |
| PERC | 102 (44.0%) | 35 (23.5%) |
| N-type | 10 (4.3%) | 26 (17.4%) |
| HJT | 7 (3.0%) | 0 |
| BIPV | 5 (2.2%) | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 | 5 (3.4%) |


## Top panels, GCL


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF-740](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-740) | 740 | 23.8 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF-735](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-735) | 735 | 23.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [NT12/66GDF-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-nt12-66gdf-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-725) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [NT12/66GDF-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-nt12-66gdf-725) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF 725](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-725-1) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [GCL-NH12/66GDF-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nh12-66gdf-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [GCL-NT12/66GDF-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-gcl-nt12-66gdf-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [NT12/66GDF-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/gcl-nt12-66gdf-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Solar N Plus


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [SP-N18/132HG-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [SP-N18/132HG 720](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [SP-N18/132HG-715W](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-715w) | 715 | 23.0 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [SP-N18/132HG 715](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-715) | 715 | 23.0 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [SP-N18/132HG-710W](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-710w) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [SP-N18/132HG 710](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-710) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [SP-N18/132HG-705W](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-705w) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [SP-N18/132HG 705](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-705) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [SP-N18/132HG-700W](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-700w) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [SP-N18/132HG 700](https://comparepv.com/panel/solar-n-plus-sp-n18-132hg-700) | 700 | 22.5 | -0.300 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

GCL is a Chinese solar manufacturer operating under the GCL System Integration Technology brand and holding one of the largest production footprints in the global photovoltaics industry. The company's annual module capacity exceeds 30 GW, supported by manufacturing sites in China and Vietnam and further expansion under way. GCL has a consistent presence on Tier 1 bankability lists and has been recognized as a top performer by PV Evolution Labs, making it a well-established choice for project finance. Solar N Plus, also headquartered in China, is a vertically integrated manufacturer that has built combined cell and module capacity of approximately 20 GW across five production bases in Anhui, Yunnan, and Jilin provinces in China, as well as in Laos and Indonesia. On the measure of institutional track record, GCL holds a clear advantage.

GCL addresses residential rooftop, commercial and industrial, and utility-scale ground-mount segments through its GEMINI and LOTUS product series, both built around n-type TOPCon cell technology. Independent testing has confirmed module-level efficiency of around 23.5% for recent GCL TOPCon products. Solar N Plus similarly centers its entire product strategy on n-type TOPCon, receiving SGS certification for its 182 TOPCon cell in 2023 and reporting Dun and Bradstreet creditworthiness at 5AA1 as of 2024. The company claims cell-level test efficiencies in the 26.3-26.5% range and targets all three market segments, though publicly available independent module-level validation at scale is less extensive than what exists for GCL. Solar N Plus does not appear prominently in the BloombergNEF Tier 1 lists reviewed for this comparison.

For buyers where project finance or lender requirements demand a bankable module supplier with a long international track record, GCL is the more defensible default. Solar N Plus is a credible option for cost-sensitive or self-financed projects where cutting-edge TOPCon technology matters more than institutional name recognition. The two brands are not fully interchangeable in financed utility-scale contexts, but for smaller commercial or residential buyers the choice may come down to local distributor support and price rather than fundamental technology differences.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


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- [AIKO vs Solar N Plus](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-solar-n-plus)
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- [ARTsolar vs Solar N Plus](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-solar-n-plus)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/gcl-vs-solar-n-plus

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