---
title: "TCL Zhonghuan vs AE Solar - Brand Comparison | ComparePV"
description: "Compare TCL Zhonghuan vs AE Solar solar panels: full portfolio, efficiency, cell technology breakdown, warranty terms and company background."
source: "https://comparepv.com/tcl-zhonghuan-vs-ae-solar"
---

# TCL Zhonghuan vs AE Solar

AE Solar has the broader catalog (646 vs 66 models). TCL Zhonghuan leads on peak efficiency at 24.60%.


## The two companies


| Attribute | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Country | China | Germany |
| Headquarters | Tianjin | Gersthofen |
| Founded | 1981 | 2003 |
| Employees |  | 501-1000 |
| Annual capacity |  | 2+ GW/year |
| Tier 1 | yes | yes |
| Listed | SZSE: 002129 |  |
| Website | [https://www.tjsemi.com](https://www.tjsemi.com) | [https://ae-solar.com](https://ae-solar.com) |

AE Solar is a German Tier 1 manufacturer of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) modules. The company specializes in producing durable and innovative solar panels with German engineering standards, offering solutions for residential, commercial, and utility-scale applications. AE Solar operates in over 100 countries and...


## Catalog & Power


| Measure | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Panel Models | 66 | 646 | +580 |
| Max Power | 725 W | 730 W | +5 W |
| Avg Power | 585 W | 489 W | +96 W |


## Efficiency


| Measure | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Max Efficiency | 24.60% | 24.43% | +0.17 pp |
| Avg Efficiency | 23.13% | 21.11% | +2.03 pp |


## Reliability & Warranty


| Measure | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar | Margin |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Avg Temp Coefficient | -0.273%/°C | -0.312%/°C | +0.039 |
| Bifacial Share | 43 (65%) | 405 (63%) | +2 pp |
| Avg Warranty | 30.0 yrs | 29.7 yrs | +0.3 yr |


## Efficiency distribution

TCL Zhonghuan skews to higher efficiency: 58% of lineup is 23%+


| Efficiency band | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 21-22% | 1 (1.5%) | 142 (22.0%) |
| 22-23% | 27 (40.9%) | 199 (30.8%) |
| 23%+ | 38 (57.6%) | 60 (9.3%) |
| \<20% | 0 | 74 (11.5%) |
| 20-21% | 0 | 171 (26.5%) |


## Power distribution

TCL Zhonghuan offers more 600W+ panels (55% of lineup)


| Power band | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 400-499W | 17 (25.8%) | 329 (50.9%) |
| 500-599W | 13 (19.7%) | 154 (23.8%) |
| 600-699W | 24 (36.4%) | 55 (8.5%) |
| 700W+ | 12 (18.2%) | 30 (4.6%) |
| \<400W | 0 | 78 (12.1%) |


## Cell technology

Dominant cell tech: **Back Contact** (45%)

Dominant cell tech: **TOPCon** (54%)


| Technology | TCL Zhonghuan | AE Solar |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Back Contact | 30 (45.5%) | 21 (3.3%) |
| TOPCon | 30 (45.5%) | 349 (54.0%) |
| N-type | 6 (9.1%) | 17 (2.6%) |
| PERC | 0 | 245 (37.9%) |
| BIPV | 0 | 9 (1.4%) |
| HJT | 0 | 5 (0.8%) |


## Top panels, TCL Zhonghuan


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [HSM-ND66-GK725 (IEC1500V)](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk725-iec1500v) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [HSM-ND66-GK725](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk725) | 725 | 23.3 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [HSM-ND66-GK720 (IEC1500V)](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk720-iec1500v) | 720 | 23.0 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [HSM-ND66-GK720](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [HSM-ND66-GK715 (IEC1500V)](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk715-iec1500v) | 715 | 22.9 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [HSM-ND66-GK715](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk715) | 715 | 23.0 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [HSM-ND66-GK710](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk710) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [HSM-ND66-GK710 (IEC1500V)](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk710-iec1500v) | 710 | 22.9 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [HSM-ND66-GK705](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk705) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [HSM-ND66-GK705 (IEC1500V)](https://comparepv.com/panel/tcl-zhonghuan-hsm-nd66-gk705-iec1500v) | 705 | 22.7 | -0.280 | Monocrystalline |


## Top panels, AE Solar


| # | Model | Power | Efficiency | Temp. coefficient | Technology |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [CME-132BDS-730](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 2 | [CME-132BDS-730W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-730w) | 730 | 23.5 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 3 | [CME-132BDS-725](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 4 | [CME-132-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 5 | [CME-132BDS-725W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-725w) | 725 | 23.4 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 6 | [AE CME-132 720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 7 | [CME-132BDS-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 8 | [AE CME-132-720](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-ae-cme-132-720-1) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 9 | [CME-132-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |
| 10 | [CME-132BDS-720W](https://comparepv.com/panel/ae-solar-cme-132bds-720w) | 720 | 23.2 | -0.290 | Monocrystalline |


## Summary

AE Solar was founded in 2003 by Alexander Maier and his siblings in Königsbrunn, Germany, and is headquartered in Gersthofen. Despite its European identity, manufacturing takes place across facilities in China, Georgia, and Turkey, with a combined annual production capacity of approximately 2.5 GW. The company has maintained continuous BloombergNEF Tier 1 status through more than 16 consecutive inclusions, and in BNEF's 2024 bankability report ranked 18th out of 67 assessed module manufacturers - distinguished as the sole European manufacturer in the high bankability category that year. TCL Zhonghuan, by contrast, is a Chinese industrial heavyweight founded in 1958 and headquartered in Tianjin as part of the TCL Group. Its core business is silicon wafer manufacturing, which accounted for 59% of revenue in 2024, while solar modules represented a growing but secondary segment at around 20% of revenue. The company holds the largest silicon wafer production capacity in the world, with cumulative shipments of its 210mm-format wafers exceeding 200 GW and a claimed 45.7% share of the global wafer market. TCL Zhonghuan achieved BNEF Tier 1 module status in Q3 2025 - a newer recognition compared to AE Solar's longstanding European bankability track record.

AE Solar's module range targets the full spectrum from residential rooftop installations to commercial and C&I projects, with the Aurora series (P-type PERC, 395-415 W) covering the mass-market segment and the Meteor series (N-type TOPCon, 430-440 W, up to 22.57% efficiency) addressing buyers seeking higher performance. The company backs its modules with a 30-year linear performance warranty, with annual degradation from year 2 to year 30 capped at 0.4% per year. TCL Zhonghuan's module offering, centered on the T5 Pro series, is designed primarily for large-scale applications: a 760 W variant targets utility-scale ground-mount plants, a 680 W version serves C&I rooftops, and a 480 W configuration is positioned for residential systems. The T5 Pro platform is built on a tri-slice G12R wafer architecture with TOPCon cell technology, and TÜV Rheinland testing indicates a 17% energy yield advantage over conventional modules under partial shading conditions.

For international buyers in the residential and small commercial segments, AE Solar offers a well-established European brand identity, a long track record of bankability, and module formats well suited to standard rooftop projects. TCL Zhonghuan's high-wattage portfolio is better matched to utility-scale and large C&I procurement, where its deep wafer supply chain integration and industrial scale may translate into competitive pricing and supply security. The two manufacturers occupy meaningfully different market positions, making a direct comparison most relevant in the mid-range C&I segment where their product lines overlap.

Written by claude-sonnet from the figures above.


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- [ASM vs AE Solar](https://comparepv.com/asm-vs-ae-solar)


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Source: https://comparepv.com/tcl-zhonghuan-vs-ae-solar

Not in this file, on the page: the distributions above drawn as charts.