Hyundai vs Solar Frontier - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Hyundai has the broader catalog (65 vs 0 models). Hyundai leans bifacial (66% 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
HD Hyundai Energy Solutions is a global provider of solar cells and modules, offering solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale projects. They provide monofacial, bifacial, and shingled PV modules, along with inverters and various PV solutions. The company is committed to developing next-generation...
- Founded
- 2004
- Headquarters
- Seongnam-si, South Korea
- Annual capacity
- 1.35 GW/year
- Employees
- 206
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
Solar Frontier is a leading CIS thin-film solar energy company specializing in the development and manufacturing of CIS (Copper-Indium-Selenium) thin-film solar modules. The company is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and is a fully owned subsidiary of Showa Shell Sekiyu, now part of Idemitsu Kosan Group. Solar...
- Founded
- 2006
- Headquarters
- Tokyo, Japan
- Annual capacity
- 1 GW/year
- Employees
- 1,500
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
Hyundai skews to higher efficiency: 6% of lineup is 23%+
Hyundai offers more 600W+ panels (5% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>HJT</strong> (38%)
The flagships
Written summary
Hyundai Energy Solutions - operating under the HD Hyundai group and headquartered in South Korea - is an active solar module manufacturer holding BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability status, meaning major lenders will finance projects using its panels. The company began mass production of N-type TOPCon cells in early 2025 and offers a separate HJT product line, with research pushing laboratory cell efficiencies beyond 24 percent for TOPCon and 25 percent for HJT. Its R&D center holds accredited testing status from both UL and VDE. Solar Frontier, founded in 2006 in Japan as a spin-off of Showa Shell Solar, built its reputation as the world's largest CIS thin-film manufacturer, but ceased module production at its Kunitomi plant in June 2022 and has not resumed in-house manufacturing. The company now operates primarily as a project developer and O&M services provider, sourcing OEM crystalline panels rather than making its own. In terms of active institutional footprint as a panel supplier, Hyundai holds a decisive advantage.
Hyundai's current lineup covers N-type TOPCon modules for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications, alongside a premium HJT series branded HeteroMax, with select models carrying a 30-year product and performance warranty. The company exhibited new TOPCon products at RE+ 2024 and secured a 36 MW US supply agreement in 2025, signalling continued push into the North American market. Solar Frontier, by contrast, no longer offers a proprietary manufactured product for new installations - its OEM monocrystalline panels carry no distinctive technological identity compared to branded alternatives.
For a buyer selecting panels in 2025, Hyundai is the only credible active choice between these two brands. Solar Frontier should not be treated as a current panel supplier; its legacy CIS installations may still perform well, but the brand is not a viable procurement option for new projects, and any "Solar Frontier panel" on the market today is third-party OEM product without the company's historic manufacturing pedigree behind it.
- Complete Review of Hyundai Solar Panels in 2025 - SolarReviews
- HD Hyundai Energy Solutions begins mass production of N-Type TOPCon cells
- HD Hyundai Energy Solutions spotlights new solar tech at RE+ 2024
- Solar Frontier abandons thin-film, launches monocrystalline panel
- Solar Frontier quits manufacturing and switches sides - RenewEconomy
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-12
Other brand comparisons
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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.