The assessment
How it scores, by category
Market position
The data
N-type TOPCon module
Produces DC electricity at the roof. It contains no system-level power conversion or storage.
- Product role
- None in the module.
- Published range
- 440–470 W
- Electrical layer
- DC module output
- Construction
- Mono-glass, All-black
Performance guarantee: 30-year linear output
Wattage figure based on the sourced rated power (470 W) applied to the guaranteed floor; modular/format differences aside, this is the same rated-power spec shown above.
Modelled effective output, year by year
Year 1 to year 25, at 30°C and 1000 W/m². Rated 470 W at STC.
How this is modelled
Compounds this panel’s own published first-year (1%) and annual (0.4%/yr) degradation figures against its 470 W rated (STC) output, then derates for the ambient and irradiance selected. Output is scaled roughly linearly with irradiance (1000 W/m² against the 1000 W/m² STC reference). This is the dominant real-world effect at low light, whether from cloud, shading or soiling. Output is then further derated for heat, from this panel’s own NOCT (42°C) and temperature coefficient (-0.29%/°C), giving an estimated cell temperature of 58°C at that ambient and irradiance. A datasheet-derived estimate, not a field measurement or a warranty guarantee: it does not account for this panel’s own low-light efficiency response (a separate, less-consistently-published spec), or for wind and system design. See NOCT and temperature coefficient in the glossary.
Control panel
| Year | 1 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watts | 421 W | 415 W | 406 W | 398 W | 389 W | 381 W |
| % of rated | 89.7% | 88.2% | 86.4% | 84.6% | 82.8% | 81.0% |
Verification & sources
Market context
Global evidencechange in the site menu
Global benchmark. This scorecard is benchmarked globally. A global score does not imply local availability, certification, warranty coverage, or installer compatibility.
Benchmark anchor. The score is anchored to the highest published rating in this exact published US series. Scored model: CS6.2-48TM-470H · checked 2026-08-23. Evidence.
Sources & references · checked 2026-09-01
Strong evidence coverage
20 of 20 scored criteria link directly to a published source.
Values marked estimated, derived, or not found remain visible on the audit sheet and do not carry the same evidential weight as a linked source. Coverage measures direct links, not an independent guarantee that a claim is correct.
How far the evidence reaches
- OutputThird-party source1 of 5 rows in the rings beyond claim4 warranty terms beside the rings
- EnduranceThird-party source3 of 5 rows in the rings beyond claim
- SafetyNot assessed for panels
- BackingWarranty terms: the maker's commitment3 warranty terms beside the rings
- FitManufacturer claim1 row in the rings2 design facts beside the rings
- FootprintNot assessed for panels
Rings, outside in: manufacturer claim, certified or regulator-listed, third-party source. The centre is review.solar's own measurement, empty for every product today. Warranty terms and design facts that rest on the maker's own word are counted beside the rings; a reviewed absence, or one that reaches beyond the maker's claim, stays in them. How the evidence puzzle works
Record revision. TOPHiKu6 All-Black exact NA sheet, warranty v1.6 and current PVEL exact-family rows rechecked 2026-08-23. First-market DE overlay review 2026-09-01: official German catalogues recorded; existing Australian and United States overlays and scores unchanged.
- Sourced valuesData card →
- Archived copy of the primary sourcePDF ↗
Show 2 more
- PID (IEC TS 62804)Independent test ↗
- Independent energy yieldIndependent test ↗
Product record history
2 earlier entries recorded source rechecks rather than changes to the published figures, and are not listed here. Every entry remains in the evidence record.
4 changes to this record · 23 products changed in this update
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342)
- Before
- LeTID resistance claimed for this product, no test cited
- After
- Independently tested / certified, figure not published
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
7 changes to this record · 7 products changed in this update
Positive loading (MQT16, Pa): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/31124738/CS_Installation-Manual_PV-Modules_EN-v3.3-EN.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
US Warranty scope
- Current text
- Two TOPHiKu warranty revisions name CS6.2-48TM-XXXH for North America under the rooftop-installation-only 25-year product clause. EN-Rev TOPHiKu 1.6 (April 2025) applies to products delivered under contracts or purchase orders signed on or after 1 April 2025 and names the Black Frame and All-Black variants. EN-Rev TOPHiKu 1.9 (May 2026), linked from the Canadian Solar North America downloads page, applies to contracts or purchase orders signed on or after 30 May 2026 and names the All-Black variant. The scored product is CS6.2-48TM-470H. No revision issued between 1.6 and 1.9 was retrieved, so the governing revision for contracts signed between 1 April 2025 and 30 May 2026 is not publicly established in the sources reviewed. Both revisions exclude products sold to and installed in Australia, New Zealand and China. CSI Solar Co., Ltd. is the warrantor; Canadian Solar (USA) Inc. is the Americas claims contact. The 30-year performance declaration uses STC output, with measurement uncertainty, rather than field yield. In both revisions the opening list of covered module types omits this family even though the 25-year clause names it; that drafting discrepancy remains held.
The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.
US market evidenceGuarantee period (yrs)+4 in JSON recordUS Certifications
- Before
- UL 61730, IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 are listed on the exact CS6.2-48TM-H North American datasheet.
- After
- CSA Group Certificate of Compliance 80039108, issued 25 November 2025 to CSI Solar Co., Ltd. and linked from the Canadian Solar North America downloads page, lists CS6.2-48TM-470H at 1500 V (PDF page 32) and certifies the CS6.2-48TM-xxxH series, 430 to 470 W, with Module Fire Performance Type 1 or Type 2 (PDF pages 17 to 18) to UL 61730-1 and UL 61730-2 second edition and CSA C22.2 No. 61730-1 and 61730-2 (PDF page 33). The CSA public listing returned HTTP 403 on 6 October 2026, so the certificate's current status has not been checked against it.; UL 61730, IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 are listed on the exact CS6.2-48TM-H North American datasheet.; VDE marks approval 40057572, dated 14 November 2023 and updated 9 April 2026, linked from the Canadian Solar North America downloads page, lists CS6.2-48TM-xxxH and its IEC 1000 V and IEC 1500 V types (PDF page 12) as tested and certified to EN IEC 61215-1, 61215-1-1 and 61215-2:2021 and EN IEC 61730-1 and 61730-2:2018. Its first page states, for the certified product as a whole, that it also fulfils IEC 61701:2020 and IEC 62716:2013 (PDF page 9). The retrieved pages do not state salt mist or ammonia severity. The certificate states it is valid only when published on the VDE register, which was not queried.
US Warranty conditions
- Current text
- labour: Reasonable material and labour are covered only when Canadian Solar chooses repair.; registration: No separate preregistration requirement is stated. Warranty starts on the earlier of the day after first installation is completed or 90 days after delivery under Incoterms 2020. Submit a written claim without undue delay and within the warranty period, including affected quantity, intact serial numbers, purchasing invoices and proof; no numerical discovery-notice deadline is stated. Unpaid amounts, missing evidence or altered labels can exclude cover. Any return requires prior authorisation. If independent verification is needed, the laboratory must be ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited and mutually agreed in advance; the inspected clause does not allocate testing fees. Disputes follow the governing law and procedures of the applicable purchase agreement.; remedy: CSI Solar chooses the applicable remedy. The 30-year performance clause permits repair, new replacement modules with power at least the remaining warranted wattage, additional modules to compensate the shortfall, or a fair-market-value refund of the wattage difference. Remedy calculations use remaining warranted wattage when the claim is first reported. In EN-Rev TOPHiKu 1.6 the separate product-remedy paragraph refers only to twelve-year cover despite the model’s 25-year clause, and its extension to that term remains a drafting ambiguity. EN-Rev TOPHiKu 1.9 words that paragraph for the Limited Product Warranty without the twelve-year qualifier. Repair or replacement keeps only the original remaining warranty term. Substitute products may differ in size, colour, shape or power if the original is unavailable. Accepted-claim transport and repair labour are conditional; removal, installation, reinstallation and applicable disposal costs remain with the buyer unless agreed otherwise in signed writing. Replaced products must not be sold, reworked or reused without authorisation; disposal follows local requirements. Statutory consumer rights remain additional.; removal reinstallation: Buyer cost unless Canadian Solar agrees otherwise in a signed writing.; transferability: Transfers with legal title to the module or system if it remains at the original installation location.; transport: For an accepted claim, reasonable two-way transport to a designated location or the original site is covered, subject to stated insurance, tax, duty, and customs exclusions.
The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.
US market evidenceGuarantee period (yrs)+4 in JSON recordNegative loading (MQT16, Pa): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/31124738/CS_Installation-Manual_PV-Modules_EN-v3.3-EN.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
Guarantee period (yrs): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
- After
- https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/22174746/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.9.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
US Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
- After
- https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/03094045/CSA-1.pdf; https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/03094047/VDE-2.pdf; https://static.csisolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/22174746/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.9.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf; https://www.csisolar.com/na/downloads/
2 changes to this record · 1 product changed in this update
US Warranty conditions
- Current text
- labour: Reasonable material and labour are covered only when Canadian Solar chooses repair.; registration: No separate preregistration requirement is stated. Warranty starts on the earlier of the day after first installation is completed or 90 days after delivery under Incoterms 2020. Submit a written claim without undue delay and within the warranty period, including affected quantity, intact serial numbers, purchasing invoices and proof; no numerical discovery-notice deadline is stated. Unpaid amounts, missing evidence or altered labels can exclude cover. Any return requires prior authorisation. If independent verification is needed, the laboratory must be ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited and mutually agreed in advance; the inspected clause does not allocate testing fees. Disputes follow the governing law and procedures of the applicable purchase agreement.; remedy: CSI Solar chooses the applicable remedy. The 30-year performance clause permits repair, new replacement modules with power at least the remaining warranted wattage, additional modules to compensate the shortfall, or a fair-market-value refund of the wattage difference. Remedy calculations use remaining warranted wattage when the claim is first reported. The separate product-remedy paragraph refers only to twelve-year cover despite the model’s 25-year clause; its extension to that term remains a drafting ambiguity. Repair or replacement keeps only the original remaining warranty term. Substitute products may differ in size, colour, shape or power if the original is unavailable. Accepted-claim transport and repair labour are conditional; removal, installation, reinstallation and applicable disposal costs remain with the buyer unless agreed otherwise in signed writing. Replaced products must not be sold, reworked or reused without authorisation; disposal follows local requirements. Statutory consumer rights remain additional.; removal reinstallation: Buyer cost unless Canadian Solar agrees otherwise in a signed writing.; transferability: Transfers with legal title to the module or system if it remains at the original installation location.; transport: For an accepted claim, reasonable two-way transport to a designated location or the original site is covered, subject to stated insurance, tax, duty, and customs exclusions.
The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.
Guaranteed end-of-warranty output (%)Primary datasheetUS Warranty scope
- Current text
- EN-Rev TOPHiKu 1.6, April 2025, names CS6.2-48TM-XXXH Black Frame and All-Black for North America under the rooftop-installation-only 25-year product clause. The scored product is CS6.2-48TM-470H. The instrument applies to products delivered under contracts or purchase orders signed on or after 1 April 2025, and excludes products sold to and installed in Australia, New Zealand and China. CSI Solar Co., Ltd. is the warrantor; Canadian Solar (USA) Inc. is the Americas claims contact. The 30-year performance declaration uses STC output, with measurement uncertainty, rather than field yield. The opening coverage list omits this family even though its 25-year clause names it; that drafting discrepancy remains held.
The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.
Guaranteed end-of-warranty output (%)Primary datasheet
5 changes to this record · 152 products changed in this update
Source revision
- Before
- TOPHiKu6 All-Black exact NA sheet, warranty v1.6 and current PVEL exact-family rows rechecked 2026-08-23.
- After
- TOPHiKu6 All-Black exact NA sheet, warranty v1.6 and current PVEL exact-family rows rechecked 2026-08-23. First-market DE overlay review 2026-09-01: official German catalogues recorded; existing Australian and United States overlays and scores unchanged.
DE Certifications
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
DE Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/; https://www.canadiansolar.com/de/; https://www.canadiansolar.com/eu/
DE Status
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- unavailable
DE Support Note
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- canadiansolar.com/de and /eu open the global homepage, not a German catalogue, and do not name CS6.2-48TM-470H. A North American TOPHiKu6 All-Black sheet is not transferred onto a German listing.
2 changes to this record · 109 products changed in this update
5 changes to this record · 118 products changed in this update
Independent energy yield: Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/methodology/; https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/
Independent energy yield: Evidence status
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- sourced
Independent energy yield
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- Brand or series yield-tested; exact model not covered
15 changes to this record · 7 products changed in this update
PID (IEC TS 62804): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/
- After
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
Power tolerance (%): Evidence sources
- Before
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
US Warranty scope
- Current text
- North America; 25-year limited product warranty and 30-year linear performance warranty. The governing v1.6 terms include conditional repair labour and accepted-claim transport, while removal and reinstallation remain buyer costs.
The previous text is not reproduced here: both versions run to a full research paragraph. Both are in the JSON record linked below.
Guaranteed end-of-warranty output (%)Primary datasheetGuarantee period (yrs): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
Performance guarantee period (yrs): Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
Guaranteed end-of-warranty output (%): Evidence sources
- Before
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
Guarantee assurance: Evidence sources
- Before
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
Warranty transferability: Evidence sources
- Before
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/PV_TopHiKu_Module_Warranty_en-v1.6.pdf
Warranty transferability
- Before
- Not transferable / not disclosed
- After
- Fully transferable (new owner, no registration required)
Hail resistance: Evidence sources
- Before
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/
- After
- https://scorecard.pvel.com/top-performers/; https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence sources
- Before
- After
- https://www.canadiansolar.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2026/01/CS-Datasheet-TOPHiKu6_All-Black_CS6.2-48TM-H_v1.0C25_F23_D1_NA-1.pdf
Source revision
- Before
- LeTID re-verified 2026-08-19 for rubric v2.12.0: scored under the returned criterion on the evidence recorded in its provenance.
- After
- TOPHiKu6 All-Black exact NA sheet, warranty v1.6 and current PVEL exact-family rows rechecked 2026-08-23.
6 changes to this record · 23 products changed in this update
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence status
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- sourced
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342)
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- LeTID resistance claimed for this product, no test cited
LeTID resistance (IEC TS 63342): Evidence sources
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
Source revision
- Before
- Not previously recorded
- After
- LeTID re-verified 2026-08-19 for rubric v2.12.0: scored under the returned criterion on the evidence recorded in its provenance.
6 changes to this record · 106 products changed in this update
Damp heat extended (2000h): Evidence status
- Before
- sourced
- After
- No longer recorded
Damp heat extended (2000h)
- Before
- 1000h IEC 61215 standard
- After
- No longer recorded
Damp heat extended (2000h): Evidence sources
- Before
- After
- No longer recorded
This is review.solar's publication history. It does not claim the product changed on the recorded date, and it excludes compatibility, system pairing, installation suitability and relative leaderboard prose. Open the complete JSON record.
Evidence timeline
Recorded verification events for this scorecard. These are evidence checks, not historical score snapshots.
- US market evidence checked
- Core scorecard evidence checked
- DE market evidence checked
- AU market evidence checked
- Series benchmark evidence checked
Scored by Solar Analytica Research
Further reading from Findings
Stay across the benchmark.
New scorecards, score changes and market signals, published as they happen.
Our reading
TOPHiKu6 48TM scores 69, placing 20 of 66 in the Global Tier-1 class against a class average of 63.6. Its strongest scoring dimension is durability (verified) (83), running 26.3 points above the class average on this dimension. Sustainability scores 46, the lowest pillar for this product. The class average on sustainability is 59. Underlying specifications include a module efficiency of 23.5%, N-type TOPCon cell technology, 25-year product warranty backed by a 30-year performance term.
Dietreich Farquharson · review.solar