Maxeon Solar has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Canadian Solar for violating Maxeon’s TOPCon patents. Maxeon filed in the Eastern District of Texas.
Canadian Solar TOPCon module
After purchasing the patents on Solaria’s shingled cell technology last year, Maxeon now owns more than 1,650 issued patents and more than 330 pending patent applications related to interdigitated back contact (IBC), shingled hypercell and tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar technology . The company announced last year that it is investigating several companies for infringing Maxeon’s patents. This claim against Canadian Solar is the first to be announced.
“Maxeon has a strong legacy in the development of solar cell technology and is leading the development and commercialization of tunnel oxide passivated contacts,” said Marc Robinson, Associate General Counsel at Maxeon. “Years before the nickname ‘TOPCon’ was used in the industry to describe a tunnel oxide passivated contact-based solar cell, our scientists and engineers had developed several ways to implement TOPCon technology in both back-contact and front-contact solar cells. . Maxeon holds many patents related to TOPCon technology, with inventions related to fundamental TOPCon solar cell architectures dating back to the 2000s. This is Maxeon’s first action to enforce its valuable patent rights in the United States, and Maxeon will continue to vigorously enforce its patent rights in the United States and other markets.”
Maxeon claims infringement of three patents: Nos. 8,222,516 (the ‘516 patent), 8,878,053 (the ‘053 patent), and 11,251,315 (the ‘315 patent).
- ‘516 Patent: Front Contact Shaped Emitter Solar Cell (granted to SunPower in 2012)
- ‘053 patent: Front Contact Solar Cell with Shaped Emitter (granted to SunPower in 2014)
- ‘315 patent: Solar cells with improved lifespan, passivation and/or efficiency (granted to SunPower in 2022)
- SunPower transferred its patents to Maxeon in 2022.
Canadian Solar issued a response:
While Canadian Solar continues to consult with its attorneys and review Maxeon’s complaint, the company’s preliminary assessment is that the claims in the complaint are completely without merit. Canadian Solar denies that its TOPCon technology infringes Maxeon’s patents and plans to vigorously defend itself against Maxeon’s claims. Canadian Solar is confident that its TOPCon technology and processes will be tried in court at the right time. In the meantime, Canadian Solar will continue to sell high-quality solar products in the United States and elsewhere, as it has done since its founding in Canada more than two decades ago.Canadian solar energy
Solaria filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Canadian Solar in 2020, alleging that Canadian Solar stole Solaria’s patents for shingled solar panels. The International Trade Commission determined that Canadian Solar infringed on Solaria’s patents, and the two companies ultimately agreed that Canadian Solar would not sell solar panels using shingled technology in the United States for seven years.
Updated March 28 to add Canadian Solar’s commentary.