Chinese solar module maker Trina Solar is actively trying to determine whether other manufacturers are currently violating some of its patents for TOPCon solar cell technology.
“In Trina's opinion, it is necessary to create a fair ecosystem in which intellectual protection plays an important role,” , Trina Solar's general director for Latin America and the Caribbean, told pv magazine. “What Trina finds difficult to accept is that other companies access this ecosystem illicitly or by avoiding investments. Our R&D investments exceed $3 billion.”
García-Maltrás has not identified any manufacturers that might be using its TOPCon patents. He did express confidence that the company could reach reasonable solutions through settlement agreements, rather than legal action.
“We don't want to enter in any legal dispute,” he noted. “But we would like those companies that identify that they have a void in their internal management systems, they look for a way to fill it, either with their own patents or by approaching the owners of the used patents to talk about licensing agreements.”
One of the patents that Trina Solar is investigating concerns the number of busbars and their width in TOPCon panels.
“TOPCon solar panels can have a varied number of busbars, as well as widths,” García-Maltras explained. “Finding the optimal balance between the number of busbars and their width is crucial. Our patented technology clarifies the ratio between the number of busbars and their width, optimizing the output efficiency of solar cell modules. This also maximizes the conversion of solar energy into electrical energy, while ensuring the robustness and longevity of the solution to withstand years of operation.”
García-Maltrás also said that the production of TOPCon panels requires a series of patents.
“I think that no manufacturer has developed 100% of the patents it uses in production,” he said. “There are agreements between manufacturers that want to cooperate and want to protect investments in R&D. This is the kind of industrial environment we want to support.”
Trina's recent move follows First Solar‘s announcement last week that it is evaluating potential infringements of its TOPCon patents. First Solar secured the patents through its acquisition of TetraSun in 2013.
Bill Mulligan, CEO of Singapore-based IBC solar module maker Maxeon, also told pv magazine in June that the company is prepared to enforce intellectual property rights with all existing and new back-contact (BC) competitors that are allegedly using its technologies.
In February, Trina Solar and its South Korean rival, Hanwha Qcells, reached a settlement agreement on a patent dispute that the Chinese module maker launched in January. In a joint statement, the two companies said they had reached a patent licensing and transfer agreement over their intellectual property.
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