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A report from the DigiTimes has revealed that solar cell makers are still waiting to see what impact, if any, Kyocera’s patent for its 3-busbar solar cell structure will have on their businesses. Issued in Japan on September 4, different media outlets speculated that Kyocera may use the patent to stop other solar cell makers from manufacturing 3-busbar products.
If Kyocera does decide to put restrictions on other solar cell makers, manufacturers may have to contend with the possibility that 3-busbar solar cells will not be exported to Japan, or conversely, that they will need to pay Kyocera patent fees.
Kyocera’s 3-busbar solar cell sports a width of 0.5-2mm between busbars, a finger electrode width of 0.05-0.1mm and one busbar placed in the middle of the cell. Other cell makers have advised that almost all firms manufacture 3-busbar solar cells in this manner and fear that if Kyocera uses the patent to limit other firms; most 3-busbar manufacturers will be affected.
DigiTimes noted that Wen-Whe Pan, president and COO of solar cell company Gintech, felt that it will come down to a customer’s preference of using 2- or3-busbar solar cells. Sam Hong, president of Neo Solar Power, further noted that if the patent is used by Kyocera to limit other companies like his own, NSP may switch capacity to 2- or 4-busbar.
