The volume of sales handled by LONGi distributors since 2025 already exceeds the total volume of the Panamanian distributed generation market during that year . This figure reflects both the brand's growth and the regional reach achieved by its sales channels.
“ Our official distributors, taking into account the volumes they handled during 2025 and so far in 2026, have accumulated around 60 MW ,” revealed Carlo Francesco Melillo , LONGi's representative for Panama, Central America and the Caribbean, in a dialogue with Energía Estratégica .
The comparison requires some clarification: not all of that volume ended up installed in Panama. Celtec and Solar 5 Estrellas also supply other destinations from the country.
“This phenomenon is explained by the fact that our distributors in Panama also re-export to other markets. Having regional reach, they redistribute the product to Central American countries where there is demand,” Melillo explained.
LONGi's calculation of recent market trends aligns with industry benchmarks: over 40 MW of solar self-consumption capacity was installed in Panama during 2025 , bringing the year's total to approximately 192 MW . By March 2026, the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) was already reporting over 207 MW and 7,654 customers using this model.
With this scenario, the company aims to close 2026 with a significant market share in Panama and make it its best year ever in the country. By December, LONGi is targeting a 30% to 35% market share in Panama's distributed generation sector, estimated at 50 to 60 MW for the entire year.
This growth since 2025 coincides with a greater penetration of Back Contact (BC) technology within the firm's business. According to the executive, it currently accounts for between 60% and 70% of its sales in Panama , while globally it represented more than 65% of the company's module shipments during the first half of 2026 .
The focus is especially on distributed generation, where the use of surface area and partial shade can directly impact production.
According to estimates and simulations by LONGi, BC modules can offer higher power generation compared to comparable TOPCon solutions, depending on project conditions.
Although BC technology may have a higher initial price, its greater efficiency and generation can offset that difference over the life of the project.
“The numbers in acceptance and sales reflect that the customer is indeed willing to purchase a better product,” stated the LONGi representative for Panama, Central America and the Caribbean.
The analysis takes on special relevance in the lead-up to RE+ Central America 2026 , which will be held on September 9 and 10 in Panama City and will bring together manufacturers, distributors, developers and other players in the solar and storage industry.
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A key task with distributors
The second pillar of the strategy is distribution. Celtec has maintained a long-standing relationship with LONGi, and in 2023 the two companies announced a 50 MW distribution agreement focused on Panama and Central America. Subsequently, Solar 5 Estrellas joined as the second official distributor in the country.
“The numbers reflect that sales to each other haven’t affected our own numbers. It’s not that we’ve taken market share from each other, but rather that we’ve better positioned our own products to capture more of the available market,” Melillo noted.
Likewise, LONGi still identifies opportunities on various fronts. The residential segment appears among those with the greatest potential, along with small and medium-sized enterprises, agriculture, tourism, and projects located outside the main urban centers, particularly in Chiriquí, Bocas del Toro, and the central provinces .
This expansion is now also including energy storage , which is still in its early stages in Panama compared to markets like Mexico and Colombia. Therefore, LONGi is already hiring battery specialists for the region and expects the business to grow as the regional photovoltaic sector matures.
“If solar photovoltaics is still growing in Central America, the battery sector is right behind it,” he summarized.
LONGi's bet on BESS
The strategy is part of a broader bet by the manufacturer: the company formally entered the storage business at the end of 2025 and in April 2026 presented LONGi ONE , its integrated solar plus storage platform, which combines BC and BESS photovoltaic technology under the same architecture.
From the executive's perspective, the limiting factor for accelerating the Panamanian market is now less related to demand than to administrative delays. According to Melillo, some projects that previously completed the process in three or four months can now take between five and eight months to install the bidirectional meter.
The regulatory environment also plays a role. Since January 2026, ASEP has temporarily established penetration limits equivalent to 5% of the maximum annual energy consumption and 16% of the maximum annual demand for the concession areas of EDEMET, EDECHI, and ENSA.
“The demand is there, as I just mentioned that we ran out of modules, but due process is not keeping pace with that growth,” Melillo warned.
If these obstacles are reduced, the executive believes that Panama could eventually reach a rate of between 60 and 80 MW per year of distributed generation , above the levels that LONGi currently estimates.
By 2027 , their forecast is for additional growth of between 5% and 10% , mainly dependent on greater agility in permitting and connection processes.
The business strategy, however, does not include adding a third distributor in the short term: “Here in Panama I don’t think there’s room for a third one anymore [...] we are very comfortable with the two distributors.”
The next step will focus on strengthening Celtec and Solar 5 Estrellas, deepening the penetration of Back Contact, and supporting the progressive incorporation of storage as a new layer of the Panamanian solar market.