KB Solar vs Q-Cells - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Q-Cells has the broader catalog (89 vs 5 models). Q-Cells leads on peak efficiency at 23.20%. KB Solar leans bifacial (100% 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
Qcells is a renowned global provider of complete energy solutions, specializing in solar cells and modules, energy storage solutions, downstream project business, and energy retail. The company has a strong heritage dating back to its foundation in Germany and has become a leader in technology innovations. As an...
- Founded
- 1999
- Headquarters
- Seoul, South Korea
- Annual capacity
- 11.2 GW/year
- Employees
- 2000+
- Listed
- NASDAQ: HQCL
- 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
Q-Cells skews to higher efficiency: 2% of lineup is 23%+
Q-Cells offers more 600W+ panels (19% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (100%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (43%)
The flagships
Written summary
KB Solar is a small US manufacturer headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, founded in 2021 and producing panels since 2022. With an annual production capacity of approximately 120 MW, it operates at a regional scale and functions simultaneously as a panel maker, wholesaler, distributor, and solar installer. It does not appear on BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability lists. Q-Cells, operating under parent brand Hanwha Q CELLS with South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group as its owner and roots tracing back to the German Q-Cells AG founded in the late 1990s, is a globally recognized Tier 1 manufacturer. BloombergNEF ranks it with a 91% bankability score, and it was named an S&P Global 2025 Tier 1 Cleantech company. Its combined global manufacturing capacity exceeds 11 GW per year, and its Dalton, Georgia facility is considered the largest solar manufacturing plant in the Western Hemisphere. Q-Cells carries a substantially stronger institutional footprint by any measure.
On the product side, KB Solar's current lineup uses 12BB PERC cells in a half-cell configuration, available in both monofacial and bifacial formats, targeting residential, commercial, and farm applications. The company offers a 30-year power output warranty and a 12-year product warranty, which is respectable for a brand of its scale. Q-Cells centers its residential offering on the proprietary Q.ANTUM technology platform - a PERC-derived architecture with anti-PID and anti-LID protections - and its newer Q.TRON series achieves panel efficiencies up to 23.7%. Q-Cells backs current residential models with a 25-year product warranty and guarantees at least 90.58% output retention after 25 years on the Q.TRON line, placing it firmly in the premium residential and light-commercial segment.
For most buyers in 2025, Q-Cells is the clearer default: its Tier 1 bankability eases project financing, its warranty terms are more robust, and its manufacturing scale supports more consistent quality control. KB Solar may appeal to buyers who specifically want a locally sourced US-made panel at a competitive price point and are comfortable with a less-established warranty backstop from a newer brand.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-28
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 2 KB Solar offers · See 25 Q-Cells 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.