The 2025 Badge of Excellence, awarded by TaiyangNews, recognizes companies that appeared in the TOP 10 rankings for at least 6 months in a calendar year
AIKO dominated the rankings by holding the No. 1 position for all 12 months, without sharing the top rank at any point
While Trinasolar entered the winners’ list by securing 8 months in the TOP 10, SPIC dropped out after falling short of the 6-month threshold
As an extension and value addition to the TOP SOLAR MODULES initiative, TaiyangNews started the Badge of Excellence scheme in 2023. It is aimed to distinguish module manufacturers that demonstrate sustained leadership in the TOP SOLAR MODULES ranking, a testimonial for commercial module efficiencies. This badge is awarded to companies that feature in the top 10 for at least 6 months in a calendar year and reflects consistency in commercial execution, product availability, and efficiency progression. The following are the winners of the Badge of Excellence for the year 2025: AIKO, Astronergy, DMEGC Solar, Huasun Energy, JA Solar, JinkoSolar, LONGi, Maxeon, Tongwei Solar, and Trinasolar.
An awardee last year, SPIC loses out this time around as it only featured in the top 10 for 4 months, falling short of the 6-month qualification threshold. Trinasolar earns inclusion instead, having met the minimum requirement by being in the top 10 for 8 months during the year.
AIKO ranked No. 1 in the top 10 every month of the year, with no change in rank from January through December. AIKO did not share the top position with any other company at any point. The highest and lowest rank recorded for AIKO during the year was No. 1.
Astronergy also featured in the top 10 all 12 months of the year. It ranked 7th in January and February, rising to 5th from March to May. Its ranking fell in June to 6th, 7th in July and August, back up to 6th in September, and down to 8th in October and November. By the end of the year, it went up again to 5th. Over the year, Astronergy’s highest rank was No. 5, and its lowest rank was 8.
DMEGC Solar appeared in the top 10 for all 12 months. Ranked 9th in January and February, it moved up to 5th between March and May. The company’s ranking slipped to 6th in June and to10th in September, before bouncing back up to 5th in October. It slipped again by one position to 6th December. The highest rank recorded for DMEGC was No. 5, while its lowest rank was No. 10.
Huasun Energy, a leader in heterojunction (HJT)technology, figured in the top 10 throughout 2025. It occupied 4th rank continuously from January through September, resulting in an uninterrupted presence at this position for 9 months. From October to December, Huasun moved to the 5th rank, with JinkoSolar replacing it at 4th. Across the year, Huasun’s highest rank was 4, while the lowest was 5th.
Although not always at the same rank, JA Solar also appeared in the top 10 for all 12 months. It ranked 5th through the first half of the year, then 6th from July to September. JA Solar rose back to 5th over the next 2 months, before slipping again to 6th in December. JA Solar’s ranking remained between the 5th and 6th place throughout the year.
LONGi appeared in the top 10 for all 12 months. Ranking 3rd in January and February, it moved to No. 2 in March, a spot it shared with Maxeon until May. From June through December, LONGi occupied the No. 2 rank exclusively, with no further rank changes.
Maxeon featured in the top 10 for 10 months before being delisted. It occupied the 2nd rank exclusively in January and February, while sharing it with LONGi from March to May. In June, the company moved to rank 3. Maxeon was delisted from the TOP SOLAR MODULES November listing due to the unavailability of the datasheet.
Tongwei Solar’s HJT modules sustained the company’s presence in the top 10 for 9 months. Consistently ranking 5th for the first 5 months of the year and 6th in June, it slipped to 8th in July and August. The company fell to 10th in September and was out of the top 10 from October onwards, but it still qualifies for the Badge of Excellence. The company’s TOPCon module was also part of the top10 from January to April, ranking between 9th and10th, but out of the top 10 in the subsequent months. Tongwei’s HJT module was ranked between 5th and 10th.
Trinasolar featured in the top 10 for 8 months, with appearances concentrated in the middle and latter part of the year. It entered the top 10 in May at 5th. The ranking fell consistently in the following months: 6th in June, 8th in July and August, and 10th in September. Following Maxeon’s exit, Trinasolar moved into No. 3, a position it held in November and December. The highest rank achieved by Trinasolar during the year was No. 3, while its lowest was No.10.
JinkoSolar appeared in the top 10 for 6 months, just qualifying for the Badge of Excellence. The company was ranked 5th from July through September, then moved up to 4th from October to December, replacing Huasun.
TaiyangNews has released its TOP SOLAR MODULES Analysis Report 2025, which consolidates year-long efficiency trends, company movements, and technology-level insights derived from the monthly rankings. The report is available as a free download from the TaiyangNews website here.
