AIKO arrived at Intersolar Europe 2026 with a card that was hard to ignore: in four years it went from selling barely 2 MW in its own modules to exceeding 50 GW globally.
The company, which for years built its position as a cell manufacturer, now seeks to consolidate its position in the utility segment with its all back-contact (ABC) technology.
“We are a company that has been in the market for a long time as a cell manufacturer. We have been number one in efficiency for many years and number two by volume,” introduced Beda Juliani, general manager for Southern Europe and the Balkans at AIKO , in a dialogue with Energía Estratégica within the framework of Intersolar Europe 2026.
The leap didn't start from a comfortable position . The company came with its own technology, but without the Tier-1 seal, without enough track record in modules, and with a bifacial design that still limited its entry into large projects.
“There came a point when we decided to build our own module with a new technology, a new way of building modules, which is the back-contact system already known to everyone and our ABC,” Juliani explained.
At that time the company was not yet Tier-1 and its back-contact module suffered from limited bifaciality, which prevented it from competing on equal terms in large projects.
Four years later, the picture changed. “In the first year, we closed deals for around 2 MW globally. In the second year, we signed 10 MW, in the third year we did 1 GW, and in the fourth year, we sold more than 50 GW. So, the progress is very good,” the executive explained.
Among the recent milestones, the largest agro-voltaic project in Italy and a 1.5 GW contract in Egypt stand out, two references that serve as a calling card for the utility segment.
For AIKO, the real milestone lies not only in the volume sold, but in having changed its place within the market: from a player in validation to a back-contact benchmark, just as technology begins to gain centrality over TOPCon.
Bankability, patents and reliability: the new battle behind the price
AIKO's speech comes at a particular moment for the photovoltaic industry . After two years of extreme price pressure, manufacturers anticipate a cost adjustment linked to the rising cost of raw materials, silver, silicon, and tax changes in China.
In this context, the company is trying to reinforce a message: competing solely on price is no longer enough . Therefore, it not only seeks to sell a more efficient technology, but also to reduce the perceived risk that historically could limit its utility revenue.
The firm even recently obtained a Grade A rating in Wood Mackenzie's 2026 global ranking of solar module manufacturers , a rating used by developers, EPCs and investors to assess bankability, operational capacity, technological maturity, supply chain resilience and R&D investment.
In addition, it was recognized as a Top Performer by Kiwa PVEL 2026 in seven key reliability categories, including thermal cycling, humid heat, mechanical stress, PID, UVID, LETID and hail.
Technological strength also appears as a central part of that strategy. The company claims to have more than 1,500 registered patents , over 20% of its staff dedicated to R&D , and more than €450 million invested in research and development in the last three years .
Back-contact moves out of its niche and targets TOPCon
Today the company seeks to establish a market thesis: back-contact will no longer be a niche technology, but the next competitive standard.
“I was in China a couple of weeks ago at SNEC, and I could see that all our competitors are already offering back-contact. If not in product, because they don't yet have the appropriate production lines, then in datasheets, with projects for Q1 or Q2 of next year,” he said.
At Intersolar Europe 2026, the company also presented new generations of modules geared towards utility scale and premium residential applications. Among them was INFINITE ULTRA , with efficiency up to 25.6% and power output up to 690 W.
“We are competing with the highest bifaciality on the market, with a price point very similar to the TOPCon, but with power above the TOPCon,” the executive explained.
“It’s not that we’ve brought anything new. We’re kind of the novelty of the market. We’re the mirror in which companies are looking. They’re all shifting towards back-contact, and if they do, they inevitably look to us,” he added.