Sunova vs Yingli - solar panel manufacturer comparison
Yingli has the broader catalog (196 vs 183 models). Yingli leads on peak efficiency at 24.10%. Sunova leans bifacial (92% 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
Yingli Solar, also known as Yingli Green Energy, is a leading solar energy company and one of the world's largest vertically integrated PV manufacturers. The company develops, manufactures, and sells PV modules to a wide range of markets. Yingli's mission is to provide affordable green energy for all.
- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Baoding, Hebei, China
- Annual capacity
- 2.45 GW/year
- Employees
- 9000+
- Listed
- OTC Pink: YGEHY
- 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
Yingli skews to higher efficiency: 21% of lineup is 23%+
Yingli offers more 600W+ panels (37% of lineup)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (49%)
Dominant cell tech: <strong>PERC</strong> (32%)
The flagships
Written summary
Sunova Solar - now also marketed as Thornova Solar following a rebranding - is a Chinese manufacturer founded in 2016 and headquartered in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Despite its relatively short corporate history, the company achieved Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 status in Q3 2023 and has maintained that designation since. Integrated module production capacity stands at approximately 5.5 GW, supplemented by a 9 GW TOPCon cell line in Yibin, Sichuan, with additional capacity reportedly under construction. Yingli Solar was founded in 1998 in Baoding, Hebei Province, and was, at its peak in 2013, the single largest solar module supplier in the world. A debt crisis in the mid-2010s severely damaged its finances, but the company underwent restructuring, regained Bloomberg NEF Tier 1 status, and ranked tenth globally by module shipments in 2025. Its declared total module capacity - covering both PERC and TOPCon lines - reaches 20 GW, giving Yingli a considerably larger industrial footprint and a longer bankability track record than Sunova.
Sunova's confirmed product portfolio centres on TOPCon and HJT technology, with bifacial dual-glass modules suited to commercial rooftops and ground-mount arrays. Verified TOPCon modules reached efficiencies above 22.9% at launch, with the Thornova-branded successor line pushing output to 720 W at 23.2%. The range covers residential rooftop through small commercial C&I, and the company has also obtained Munich Re certification - a meaningful signal for project finance. Yingli's flagship offering is the Panda 3.0 series of N-Type TOPCon bifacial modules: the Panda 3.0 Pro targets the 630 W class with a confirmed 22.36% efficiency, while the Panda 3.0 Plus scales up to 720 Wp for utility-scale ground-mount projects. A PERC-based YLM line remains available for buyers with tighter budgets or compatibility requirements.
For most international buyers - particularly those procuring for utility-scale or project-financed C&I installations - Yingli's longer operating history, greater production scale, and wider distribution network make it the lower-risk default. Sunova (Thornova) is a credible alternative for buyers who want a younger but genuinely Tier 1 bankable supplier, or who are looking to diversify away from the same handful of dominant names. In smaller residential or light commercial contexts, the two brands are effectively interchangeable on quality grounds, and price and local distributor availability will typically drive the decision.
Generated by Claude Sonnet · 2026-05-18
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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.