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

# KB Solar vs Trina Solar

Trina Solar has the broader catalog (340 vs 5 models). Trina Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.80%. KB Solar leans bifacial (100% of lineup).


## The two companies


| Attribute | KB Solar | Trina Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country |  | China |
| Headquarters |  | Changzhou |
| Founded |  | 1997 |
| Employees |  |  |
| Annual capacity |  |  |
| Tier 1 | no | yes |
| Listed |  |  |
| Website |  | [https://www.trinasolar.com](https://www.trinasolar.com) |


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | KB Solar | Trina Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 5 | 340 | +335 |
| Max Power | 385 W | 760 W | +375 W |
| Avg Power | 375 W | 520 W | +145 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | KB Solar | Trina Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 20.90% | 24.80% | +3.90 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 20.38% | 21.71% | +1.33 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | KB Solar | Trina Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.330%/°C | -0.302%/°C | +0.028 |
| Bifacial Share | 5 (100%) | 145 (43%) | +57 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 30.0 yrs | 28.2 yrs | +1.8 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

Trina Solar skews to higher efficiency: 22% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | KB Solar | Trina Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 20-21% | 5 (100.0%) | 57 (16.8%) |
| \<20% | 0 | 22 (6.5%) |
| 21-22% | 0 | 83 (24.4%) |
| 22-23% | 0 | 102 (30.0%) |
| 23%+ | 0 | 76 (22.4%) |


## Power distribution

Trina Solar offers more 600W+ panels (34% of lineup)


| Power band | KB Solar | Trina Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \<400W | 5 (100.0%) | 28 (8.2%) |
| 400-499W | 0 | 142 (41.8%) |
| 500-599W | 0 | 54 (15.9%) |
| 600-699W | 0 | 72 (21.2%) |
| 700W+ | 0 | 44 (12.9%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **PERC** (100%)

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (73%)


| Technology | KB Solar | Trina Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PERC | 5 (100.0%) | 75 (22.1%) |
| TOPCon | 0 | 248 (72.9%) |
| Unknown | 0 | 11 (3.2%) |
| N-type | 0 | 6 (1.8%) |


## Top panels, KB Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [KBS-385](https://comparepv.com/panel/kb-solar-kbs-385) | 385 | 20.9 | -0.330 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [KBS-380](https://comparepv.com/panel/kb-solar-kbs-380) | 380 | 20.6 | -0.330 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [KBS-375](https://comparepv.com/panel/kb-solar-kbs-375) | 375 | 20.3 | -0.330 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [KBS-370](https://comparepv.com/panel/kb-solar-kbs-370) | 370 | 20.1 | -0.330 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [KBS-365](https://comparepv.com/panel/kb-solar-kbs-365) | 365 | 20.0 | -0.330 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, Trina Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-760](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-760) | 760 | 24.5 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-755](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-755) | 755 | 24.3 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-750](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-750) | 750 | 24.1 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-745](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-745) | 745 | 24.0 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [TSM-NEG21C.20-740](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-co-ltd-tsm-neg21c-20-740) | 740 | 23.8 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [TSM-NEG21C.20 740](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20-740) | 740 | 23.8 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-740](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-740) | 740 | 23.8 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [TSM-NEG21C.20-735](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-co-ltd-tsm-neg21c-20-735) | 735 | 23.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [TSM-NEG21C.20 735](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20-735) | 735 | 23.7 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [TSM-NEG21C.20Q-735](https://comparepv.com/panel/trina-solar-tsm-neg21c-20q-735) | 735 | 23.7 | -0.260 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

KB Solar is a small US-based solar panel manufacturer headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The company operates as a regional provider offering wholesale supply, distribution, and installation services for residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural customers within the United States. No evidence places KB Solar on major bankability rankings such as the BloombergNEF Tier 1 list, and its annual production scale is modest by global standards. Trina Solar, founded in 1997 in Changzhou, China by Jifan Gao, is one of the world's largest photovoltaic manufacturers and has maintained consistent Tier 1 bankability status for many years. The company recorded shipments of over 65 GW in 2023 alone, with cumulative global deliveries exceeding 205 GW and a stated production capacity of around 100 GW as of mid-2025. Trina is active in more than 170 countries and has earned 11 consecutive years of PVEL Top Performer recognition. On institutional footprint and global credibility, the two brands occupy entirely different tiers.

KB Solar's product catalog centers on monocrystalline PERC panels at 375W and 450W ratings, along with bifacial variants spanning the 365-465 Wp range, primarily suited to residential rooftop and small commercial projects in the US market. The company emphasizes locally manufactured, American-made panels with fast regional delivery. Trina Solar's offering is substantially broader under its Vertex product families. The Vertex S and Vertex S+ G3 lines serve residential and light commercial buyers with i-TOPCon modules reaching efficiencies between 23.3% and 24.3% and power outputs from 465 W to 495 W, while the Vertex N series addresses large-scale utility ground-mount and heavy C&I deployments, with the latest generation modules exceeding 740 W. Trina has filed over 700 patents and continues advancing TOPCon and bifacial dual-glass technology at industrial scale.

For most international buyers - particularly those whose projects involve bank financing, insurance underwriting, or long-term asset valuation - Trina Solar is the clear default choice. Its Tier 1 status, global service network, and decade-long independent performance data make it a defensible selection across residential, commercial, and utility segments. KB Solar may suit buyers specifically in the southeastern US who prioritize domestically manufactured panels and local installer relationships, but outside that narrow context it is not a practical alternative to a globally bankable manufacturer like Trina Solar.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


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Source: https://comparepv.com/kb-solar-vs-trina-solar

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