KIOTO Solar vs AIKO - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AIKO has the broader catalog (144 vs 7 models). AIKO leads on peak efficiency at 25.20%. KIOTO Solar leans bifacial (57% 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
KIOTO Solar (KIOTO Photovoltaics GmbH) is an Austrian manufacturer of photovoltaic modules, producing panels exclusively at its facility in St. Veit an der Glan, Carinthia. The company traces its roots to 1991 as part of the Sonnenkraft group, with PV module production beginning in 2005. It is the market leader for PV...
- Founded
- 1991
- Headquarters
- St. Veit an der Glan, Austria
- Annual capacity
- <1 GW/year
- Employees
- 201-500
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- Shanghai, China
- Listed
- SZSE: 600732
- 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
AIKO skews to higher efficiency: 85% of lineup is 23%+
AIKO offers more 600W+ panels (60% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>TOPCon</strong> (100%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>Back Contact</strong> (83%)
The flagships
Written summary
KIOTO Solar (KIOTO Photovoltaics GmbH) is an Austrian manufacturer with over two decades of operating history, producing modules under the SONNENKRAFT group at its facility in St. Veit/Glan, Austria. The company holds the position of market leader in Austria and distributes across Central Europe, with a production capacity estimated in the hundreds of megawatts - well below the gigawatt scale associated with BloombergNEF Tier 1 recognition, which KIOTO does not appear to hold. AIKO Solar, headquartered in China, operates at an entirely different scale, reporting approximately 20 GW of annual production capacity and achieving BloombergNEF Tier 1 status in Q3 2024. By institutional footprint and global bankability, AIKO carries considerably more weight on the international stage.
KIOTO Solar's portfolio is built around mono PERC and TOPCon half-cell modules in roughly the 290-450 W range, targeting residential rooftops and small-to-medium commercial installations in European markets. Its core value proposition is European manufacturing provenance and an established local service network suited to buyers for whom supply-chain origin is a procurement criterion. AIKO, by contrast, has staked its reputation on its proprietary ABC (All Back Contact) n-type cell technology, which moves all electrical contacts to the rear of the cell to eliminate front-side shading losses and push efficiency higher. Its Neostar series targets premium residential rooftops with module efficiency confirmed at up to 24.3%, while the higher-wattage Comet series addresses commercial and industrial rooftop projects. AIKO's Neostar range took first place in the 2025 SolarQuotes Installers' Choice Award in Australia, reflecting growing installer confidence in the technology.
For European buyers who weight local manufacturing, straightforward procurement logistics, and a long-standing regional warranty network, KIOTO Solar is a credible and defensible choice. For buyers prioritizing maximum efficiency per square meter and globally recognized bankability, AIKO's ABC modules occupy a clear lead at the high-efficiency end of the market in 2025. The two brands serve overlapping but not identical buyer profiles - KIOTO is a regional specialist with deep European roots, while AIKO is a high-efficiency technology leader with a rapidly expanding global presence.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-13
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 2 KIOTO Solar offers · See 166 AIKO 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.