Fierce competition and the emergence of technologies such as TOPCon have led to an uptick in the prevalence of patent infringement lawsuits between PV companies. Tom Kenning reports.
They relate to the tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon)solar cells used in Runergy and Adani’s products sold in the US and the manufacturing processes for those cells.
A new research project, announced this week, will seek to bolster intellectual property (IP) and patent protection for European companies developing new solar cell technologies.
Solar manufacturer Maxeon Solar Technologies has said that it is issuing a number of patent infringement investigations in the US pertaining to tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology.
Trina Solar has said it will challenge a court decision in Germany that found the company has infringed patented technology from rival PV module manufacturer Qcells.
Newly granted patents for solar cell architecture that reduces silver costs and increases power generation could see the new technology draw closer to commercialisation.
