From January 2024 to December 2025, the highest commercial module efficiency increased by 0.8% in absolute terms, reaching 24.8%
All commercial modules with efficiencies above 24.5% were based on BC technology and held the top 2 positions in the TOP SOLAR MODULES listing
As of December 2025, a TOPCon-based module ranked 3rd with an efficiency of 23.7%
Efficiency is at the core of the TaiyangNews TOP SOLAR MODULES listing, with companies ranked according to the efficiencies of their top commercially available modules. Tracking these rankings over time highlights how efficiency benchmarks have advanced and which suppliers have consistently remained at the forefront (see Tracking What Truly Reaches The Market).
In addition to presenting the highest commercial module efficiencies achieved by leading suppliers, this analysis examines the progression of the top 3 efficiencies over time. Viewed through this lens, the evolution of the top 3 offers particularly valuable insights into the upper limits of commercial module performance.
Developments during H2 2025 are particularly remarkable. Overall, the dominance of back-contact (BC) architectures has not changed. AIKO maintained its No. 1 position even in the 2nd half of 2025. The most significant development occurred in December 2025, when the company raised the bar across both overall efficiency rankings and the segment by increasing the efficiency of its top commercial BC module to 24.8%. Previously, AIKO held an efficiency of 24.4% from June through November 2025.
LONGi maintained the 2nd rank throughout H2 2025. Its top commercial BC module remained at 24.2% from June 2025 till November, then improved to 24.7% in December 2025, concurrent with AIKO’s improvement to 24.8%.
Changes were more pronounced at the 3rd position. Maxeon, which previously held this rank with a 24.1% module, was delisted in November 2025 due to the unavailability of the product's datasheet. While the company is now promoting different models with changed specs, it has not provided proof of commercialization. In the same month, Trinasolar improved the efficiency of its TOPCon modules to 23.7%, replacing Maxeon at 3rd. While this is a jump both for Trinasolar and for the TOPCon stream, the efficiency level for the 3rd rank slipped from 24.1% to 23.7% in November.
Looking back, the most significant developments in the top 3 rankings during H1 2025 also occurred in the last month, in June, when AIKO increased the efficiency of its commercial BC module to 24.4%, surpassing its previous record of 24.2% achieved in May 2024. AIKO maintained its No. 1 ranking throughout H1 2025.
Leveraging its back-contact technology, known as HPBC, LONGi exclusively held the 2nd rank through most of 2025. The company improved the top efficiency of its commercially available HPBC modules twice in H1 2025. The latest improvement, to 24.2%, occurred in June 2025, up from 24.1% achieved in March 2025, when it shared the 2nd rank with Maxeon. Until then, Maxeon had solely occupied the 2nd rank since April 2024. The predecessor to Maxeon’s 24.1% module had an efficiency 1.1% lower in absolute terms and was not among the top 3. Before Maxeon provided proof of commercialization to secure the 2nd place, LONGi had held the rank exclusively since May 2023 with its 23.2% efficiency module.
As of June 2025, Maxeon was ranked 3rd, a position that had been vacant for the 2 preceding months as both Maxeon and LONGi jointly held the 2nd rank. From May 2024 to February 2025, LONGi ranked 3rd with its 23.2% efficiency product. Between September 2023 and April 2024, LONGi’s product ranked 2nd, while Huasun’s HJT module held the 3rd position. This period also saw modules based on non-BC cell architectures feature among the top 3 of the TOP SOLAR MODULES listing.
It is also interesting to see the changes in the technology mix among the top 3 ranks. While BC holds the top 2 spots as of the end of 2025, TOPCon gained representation in November, reaching 3rd place. For most of 2025 and 2024, the top 3 were an exclusive BC league. At the start of 2024, BC held the top 2 ranks, while HJT occupied 3rd. In May, the top 3 efficiency spots were dominated exclusively by BC technology.
From January 2024 to December 2025, the top commercial module efficiency improved by 0.8% in absolute terms. In 2024 alone, the top efficiency improved by 0.2% in absolute terms, marking the beginning of a broader upward trend. The 2nd rank took a big jump from 23.2% to 24.7%, a gain of 1.5 percentage points over the last 2 years. The 3rd rank, interestingly, first rose from 23.02% to 24.1% and then dipped to 23.7%, with an overall delta of 0.68 percentage points in the same time period.
It is important to note that module makers are continuing to push the limits and inching toward the practical limit of crystalline silicon modules, with progress remaining consistent. By the end of 2025, the TOP SOLAR MODULES list featured 2 commercial module products with efficiencies above 24.5%, and by the end of H1 2025, the list included 3 commercial modules with efficiencies of 24% or higher. All were based on BC technology, underscoring BC’s dominance in high-efficiency products.
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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