SolarWorld vs AEET - solar panel manufacturer comparison
AEET has the broader catalog (5 vs 0 models).
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
SolarWorld AG was a German photovoltaic manufacturer and one of the largest solar panel producers in the Western world, covering the full value chain from polysilicon feedstock to finished modules. The company operated major manufacturing plants in Freiberg, Germany and Hillsboro, Oregon, USA, and was once a leading...
- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Bonn, Germany
- Annual capacity
- 1-2 GW/year
- Employees
- 3000-5000
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
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (100%)
The flagships
Written summary
AEET Energy Group GmbH is a German photovoltaic wholesale and full-service partner headquartered in Bad Gandersheim, Lower Saxony. The company has been active in the PV sector for a number of years, operating a network of more than 500 certified installation partners across Germany. AEET markets solar modules sourced from leading international manufacturers alongside a line of proprietary modules carrying TUV Rheinland certification. It does not appear on BloombergNEF Tier 1 lists as an independent module producer, which reflects its hybrid identity as a distributor-integrator rather than a volume cell-and-module manufacturer. SolarWorld AG, by contrast, was once one of Europe's flagship solar manufacturers, founded in Bonn in 1988 and recognized as a Tier 1 producer during the first half of the 2010s. The company filed for insolvency in May 2017 under sustained pressure from low-cost Asian module pricing, was briefly restructured as SolarWorld Industries GmbH, and then filed for insolvency a second time in March 2018 before effectively ceasing operations. On institutional footprint among active businesses, AEET is the only entity still trading.
AEET's catalog spans monocrystalline, polycrystalline, and thin-film modules aimed at residential rooftop and small commercial segments in the European market, with a ten-year product warranty and up to a 25-year performance guarantee. SolarWorld's Sunmodule range - built around monocrystalline silicon and manufactured in Germany and Oregon - was well regarded for build quality and carried a 20-year product warranty, but those panels are legacy stock; no new production has occurred since the 2018 closure.
For any buyer evaluating new equipment in 2025, SolarWorld is not a viable option. The brand exists only as installed legacy hardware, and warranty claims face obvious uncertainty given the company's defunct status. AEET remains an active procurement channel in the German and European market, making it the clear default - though buyers seeking the strongest Tier 1 bankability assurances would likely look toward larger global producers with confirmed BloombergNEF standing.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-06-11
Other brand comparisons
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.