Silfab vs AIKO - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AIKO has the broader catalog (144 vs 47 models). AIKO leads on peak efficiency at 25.20%.
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
Silfab Solar is a North American leader in the design, development, and manufacture of high-efficiency, premium-quality solar cells and modules. Leveraging over 40 years of solar experience, they operate fully automated facilities in Washington, South Carolina, and Ontario, Canada. Their products are designed and...
- Founded
- 2010
- Headquarters
- Mississauga, Canada
- Annual capacity
- 1.6 GW/year
- Employees
- 800+
- Tier 1 bankable
- Yes
- 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>PERC</strong> (45%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>Back Contact</strong> (83%)
The flagships
Written summary
AIKO is a Chinese manufacturer founded in 2009 and headquartered in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. The company achieved BloombergNEF Tier 1 status in Q3 2024 and has scaled rapidly, with reported production capacity of roughly 20 GW per year in early 2025 and continuing upward momentum that placed it among the top ten Tier 1 manufacturers by volume in 2026. Silfab Solar is a North American manufacturer with roots in Italy and Canada, currently operating module plants in Ontario, Washington state, and South Carolina, with a combined North American module capacity approaching approximately 3.4 GW. Silfab holds Tier 1 bankability recognition from third-party testing laboratories RETC and Kiwa-PVEL, and has received RETC's "High Achievement in Performance" designation for four consecutive years through 2025. On raw institutional footprint and global production scale, AIKO holds the larger position by a wide margin.
AIKO's defining technology is its proprietary ABC (All Back Contact) n-type cell architecture, which moves all electrical contacts to the rear of the cell and has pushed some modules into the 23-25 percent efficiency range for residential rooftop applications. The ABC platform is marketed for premium residential installs, commercial and industrial rooftops, and increasingly utility-scale projects. Silfab centers its residential and light-commercial lineup around n-type TOPCon cells, with module efficiencies in the 20-22 percent range. Its Elite and Prime series are specifically aimed at the North American residential market and carry a 25-year product warranty and a 30-year performance warranty - among the longer coverage terms available in the industry. Silfab's domestic manufacturing also makes its modules eligible for U.S. Inflation Reduction Act domestic content bonuses, a meaningful financial advantage for American buyers.
For a buyer who prioritizes peak efficiency and is comfortable with a Chinese-manufactured product, AIKO offers a compelling technical edge. For a buyer in the United States who values North American manufacturing, domestic content incentives, and a long established track record with U.S. installers, Silfab is the more pragmatic default. The two brands occupy genuinely different niches and are not interchangeable choices.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-15
Other brand comparisons
Shop prices: See 2 Silfab offers · See 174 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.