Philadelphia Solar vs Q-Cells - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Philadelphia Solar has the broader catalog (99 vs 89 models). Philadelphia Solar leads on peak efficiency at 23.53%. Philadelphia Solar leans bifacial (67% 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
Philadelphia Solar is a Jordanian Tier 1 solar module and steel mounting structure manufacturer that was established in 2007. It is the first MEA-based company to manufacture, develop, design, construct, own, and operate utility-scale, commercial and industrial photovoltaic plants. The company exports to over 52...
- Founded
- 2007
- Headquarters
- Amman, Jordan
- Annual capacity
- 0.58 GW/year
- Employees
- 51-200
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
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
Philadelphia Solar skews to higher efficiency: 9% of lineup is 23%+
Q-Cells offers more 600W+ panels (19% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (55%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (43%)
The flagships
Written summary
Philadelphia Solar is a Jordanian manufacturer founded in 2007 and headquartered in Amman, with a module factory operating in the sub-gigawatt range. The company has announced plans to expand into U.S. production and has been building its international profile, rising on the PV ModuleTech bankability scale to a CC-category rating as of mid-2024 - a mid-tier result that reflects a company still growing its financial standing in a competitive field. Q-Cells, now operating under the Hanwha Qcells brand, has far deeper institutional roots: originally founded in Germany in 1999, it is a subsidiary of South Korea's Hanwha Group, carries a BloombergNEF Tier 1 module rating, and was named to S&P Global's 2025 Tier 1 Cleantech Company list. With global module capacity exceeding 11 GW per year and a U.S. facility in Dalton, Georgia, that stands among the largest solar manufacturing sites in North America, Hanwha Qcells holds a considerably stronger institutional and financial footprint.
Philadelphia Solar's portfolio centers on mono-facial and bifacial PERC monocrystalline modules, oriented toward commercial and utility-scale buyers across the Middle East, Africa, and neighboring emerging markets where regional proximity and competitive pricing carry weight. Hanwha Qcells spans a wider range: its Q.PEAK line uses PERC technology suited to residential and commercial rooftops, while the newer Q.TRON series deploys N-type TOPCon via the Q.ANTUM NEO platform, reaching module efficiencies in the low-to-mid 22% range per SolarReviews' 2025 analysis. This breadth covers everything from premium residential installations to large ground-mount projects.
For most buyers in 2025, Hanwha Qcells is the clearer default - it combines a wider technology range, strong bankability, a domestic U.S. supply chain relevant to IRA incentive compliance, and a well-documented global track record. Philadelphia Solar remains a credible and competitively priced option for buyers in Jordan, the broader Middle East, and Africa who value local sourcing, but it cannot yet match Qcells in scale, bankability tier, or product breadth.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-29
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 5 Philadelphia Solar offers · See 23 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.