--- title: "REC vs Trina Solar - Brand Comparison | ComparePV" description: "Compare REC vs Trina Solar solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background." source: "https://comparepv.com/rec-vs-trina-solar" --- # REC vs Trina Solar Trina Solar has the broader catalog (340 vs 58 models). Trina Solar leads on peak efficiency at 24.80%. REC leans bifacial (59% of lineup). ## The two companies | Attribute | REC | Trina Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | Country | Norway | China | | Headquarters | Sandvika | Changzhou | | Founded | 1996 | 1997 | | Employees | | | | Annual capacity | | | | Tier 1 | yes | yes | | Listed | | | | Website | [https://www.recgroup.com](https://www.recgroup.com) | [https://www.trinasolar.com](https://www.trinasolar.com) | ## Catalog & Power | Measure | REC | Trina Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Panel Models | 58 | 340 | +282 | | Max Power | 640 W | 760 W | +120 W | | Avg Power | 385 W | 520 W | +135 W | ## Efficiency | Measure | REC | Trina Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Max Efficiency | 22.80% | 24.80% | +2.00 pp | | Avg Efficiency | 18.92% | 21.71% | +2.79 pp | ## Reliability & Warranty | Measure | REC | Trina Solar | Margin | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.300%/°C | -0.302%/°C | +0.002 | | Bifacial Share | 34 (59%) | 145 (43%) | +16 pp | | Avg Warranty | 25.5 yrs | 28.2 yrs | +2.7 yr | ## Efficiency distribution Trina Solar skews to higher efficiency: 22% of lineup is 23%+ | Efficiency band | REC | Trina Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | \<20% | 20 (34.5%) | 22 (6.5%) | | 20-21% | 8 (13.8%) | 57 (16.8%) | | 21-22% | 15 (25.9%) | 83 (24.4%) | | 22-23% | 15 (25.9%) | 102 (30.0%) | | 23%+ | 0 | 76 (22.4%) | ## Power distribution Trina Solar offers more 600W+ panels (34% of lineup) | Power band | REC | Trina Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | \<400W | 21 (36.2%) | 28 (8.2%) | | 400-499W | 26 (44.8%) | 142 (41.8%) | | 500-599W | 1 (1.7%) | 54 (15.9%) | | 600-699W | 10 (17.2%) | 72 (21.2%) | | 700W+ | 0 | 44 (12.9%) | ## Cell technology Dominant cell tech: **HJT** (59%) Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (73%) | Technology | REC | Trina Solar | | --- | --- | --- | | HJT | 34 (58.6%) | 0 | | Unknown | 22 (37.9%) | 11 (3.2%) | | N-type | 2 (3.4%) | 6 (1.8%) | | TOPCon | 0 | 248 (72.9%) | | PERC | 0 | 75 (22.1%) | ## Top panels, REC | # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | [REC640AA PRO M](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec640aa-pro-m) | 640 | 22.5 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 2 | [REC640AA Pro MG](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec640aa-pro-mg) | 640 | 22.5 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 3 | [REC630AA PRO M](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec630aa-pro-m) | 630 | 22.2 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 4 | [REC630AA Pro MG](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec630aa-pro-mg) | 630 | 22.2 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 5 | [REC620AA PRO M](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec620aa-pro-m) | 620 | 21.8 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 6 | [REC620AA Pro MG](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec620aa-pro-mg) | 620 | 21.8 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 7 | [REC610AA PRO M](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec610aa-pro-m) | 610 | 21.5 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 8 | [REC610AA Pro MG](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec610aa-pro-mg) | 610 | 21.5 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 9 | [REC600AA PRO M](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec600aa-pro-m) | 600 | 21.1 | -0.240 | Monocrystalline | | 10 | [REC600AA Pro MG](https://comparepv.com/panel/rec-rec600aa-pro-mg) | 600 | 21.1 | -0.240 | 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 REC Group was founded in 1996 in Norway and has evolved from a polycrystalline silicon supplier into a premium panel brand, with manufacturing now centered in Singapore. Its annual production capacity sits at approximately 1.2 GW, placing it firmly in the category of smaller, quality-focused manufacturers rather than volume players. Trina Solar was founded in 1997 in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, and has grown into one of the largest solar module producers in the world, with a company-wide capacity exceeding 50 GW per year and cumulative global shipments surpassing 292 GW. Trina Solar earned BloombergNEF Tier 1 bankability status for the eighth time in 2025, achieving a 100% bankability rating - the strongest possible endorsement from the project-finance community. In terms of institutional footprint and bankability recognition, Trina Solar operates at a fundamentally different scale than REC. REC's product strategy centers on the premium segment. The Alpha series uses heterojunction (HJT) cell technology and reaches efficiencies up to 22.6%, making it well suited for space-constrained residential rooftops and commercial installations where maximizing output per square meter justifies the price premium. The TwinPeak line, based on half-cut mono cell technology, extends the portfolio for buyers wanting solid performance at a more accessible price point. Trina Solar's Vertex family spans the full market spectrum: the Vertex S+ targets residential and light commercial applications using N-type TOPCon technology, while the Vertex N addresses commercial and industrial (C&I) as well as large utility-scale ground-mount projects. Manufacturing facilities across China, Thailand, and Vietnam give Trina supply-chain resilience that is particularly valued by large-scale project developers and lenders. For most international buyers - whether outfitting a rooftop system or developing a mid-size commercial project - Trina Solar is the more practical default, offering proven TOPCon technology, robust bankability credentials, broad availability, and competitive pricing. REC is the justified premium choice when roof space is at a premium, when output-per-square-meter is the primary constraint, or when a European brand heritage carries weight with the end customer. On a purely technical basis, the two brands are broadly interchangeable for standard installations, and the final decision often comes down to local distributor relationships and delivered module cost. Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above. ## Other comparisons - [REC vs A.B. Energy](https://comparepv.com/rec-vs-a-b-energy) - [AE Solar vs Trina Solar](https://comparepv.com/ae-solar-vs-trina-solar) - [REC vs AEET](https://comparepv.com/rec-vs-aeet) - [AIKO vs Trina Solar](https://comparepv.com/aiko-vs-trina-solar) - [REC vs AKCOME](https://comparepv.com/rec-vs-akcome) - [ARTsolar vs Trina Solar](https://comparepv.com/artsolar-vs-trina-solar) --- Source: https://comparepv.com/rec-vs-trina-solar Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.