Over the last 2 years, the 21.5%-21.7% efficiency band saw a net exit of 11 products, largely due to manufacturers phasing out PERC-based modules
The contraction continued in H2 2025, with multiple products delisted during the period, reducing both the product count and the band’s overall share by year-end
During H1 2025, the product count remained stable, while the band’s share declined, reflecting broader changes in the overall TOP SOLAR MODULES listing
The efficiency range of 21.5% to 21.7% – the lowest band in our TOP SOLAR MODULES rankings, but once the most populated efficiency band – has been shrinking steadily over the past 24 months. Over the 2024-2025 period, 11 products exited this band, including 4 delistings in H2 2025 alone. These reductions were primarily due to the delisting of PERC modules as companies phased out legacy products from their portfolios.
The decline in product count continued into July 2025, the first month of H2 2025, following the delisting of EGING PV’s module in the previous month. This reduced the number of products in the band to 17, with the share falling to 34%. The product count remained unchanged over the next 2 months, while the share declined further to 33% in September due to the addition of one product elsewhere in the overall listing. In October, the removal of JA Solar’s module reduced the count to 16, although the share remained unchanged at 33%. In November, DAS Solar’s module was delisted, further reducing the product count to 15 and the share to 32%. A more pronounced contraction occurred in December 2025, when 2 additional products were removed from the list – one each from Canadian Solar and GCL SI. As a result, the year ended with 13 products in this efficiency band, corresponding to a 29% share (see Efficiency Band Above 22.5%).
Looking back at the H1 2025 analysis, the product count, however, remained unchanged all along. In January 2025, the number of products listed in this band was 18, 2 fewer than the previous month, with a corresponding share of 36%, also 2% less than the December 2024 level. While the number of products in this band remained the same at 18 over these 6 months, the share dropped to 35% in June, reflecting the impact of a product’s exit from another efficiency band (see Efficiencies Between 22.0% And 22.5%).
As to the specific changes, in January, 2 PERC modules – Risen’s 21.7% efficiency product and Akcome’s 21.68% product – were removed from the listing. The dip in the last month of this period is due to the addition of a product in another band.
On the other hand, 2024, especially the first half, was positive for the band. It started with a product count of 24 and even increased to 25 in March, maintaining this number through June. The only product addition during the year was Kalyon PV’s PERC module, rated at 21.61% efficiency, in March. This was not only the last module to enter the PERC segment, but also among the first to exit it in July, and represented the beginning of a broader trend of PERC phase-out. The second half of the year marked a clear decline. Other deletions included Tongwei Solar in September, Astronergy and Talesun in October, and JinkoSolar in December. This brought down the module count to 20 and the share to 38%. All exits were due to the discontinuation of their PERC product lines.
Complementing this efficiency-based assessment, TaiyangNews also recognizes sustained leadership through its TOP SOLAR MODULES Badge of Excellence, awarded to manufacturers that feature in the top 10 rankings for at least 6 months in a calendar year (see TOP SOLAR MODULES 2025: Badge Of Excellence).
The text is an edited excerpt from TaiyangNews’ latest TOP SOLAR MODULES Report 2025, which can be downloaded for free here.
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