Global Ranking of Solar Cell Patents (TOP 30)

By confining the keywords and classification numbers concerning solar cell technology, we sorted out the solar cell patents that were applied for and publicly disclosed globally from May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2023 (in combination with the application number).

Time range of data extraction:May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2023

Under the background of global warming and increasing depletion of fossil fuels, the development and utilization of renewable energy are catching an increasing attention from the international community, and it has been a global consensus among countries around the world that makes every effort to develop renewable energy. Among renewable energy sources, solar energy has been the fastest-growing renewable energy source because of its significant advantages in cleanliness, safety, abundance, etc.

Photovoltaic (PV) system is a system that directly converts solar energy into electricity under the PV effect. The system’s core component is the PV module, which is a solar cell array consisting of a number of solar cells that are connected in series or parallel. The widespread application of PV system depends on the continuous optimization and upgrading of solar cell production technology. Silicon wafers are processed into solar cells through such processes as velvet making, diffusion bonding, etching, deposition of reflective films, electrode printing, etc. As everyone knows, the conversion efficiency of solar cells is the main core factor affecting the PV industrialization and scale, as a result, one of the research priorities in the PV industry is how to develop solar cells with higher conversion efficiency using more advanced materials, structures, and processes.

According to the prediction by International Energy Agency (IEA), renewable energy will become the largest source of global electricity by 2025, and global solar PV capacity is set to almost triple over 2,350GW by 2027, surpassing hydropower in 2024, natural gas in 2026 and coal in 2027 to become the largest installed electricity capacity worldwide. The continuously declining cost of new energy generation, which is further lower than that of traditional power generation, has attracted an increasing global attention. The solar panel industry therefore will enjoy an optimistic future prospect.

Based on the understanding of solar cell technology, IPRdaily confined the relevant keywords and classification numbers, sorted out the data on solar cell patents that were applied for and publicly disclosed globally from May 1, 2013 to April 30, 2023 (in combination with the application number), and then released the Global Ranking of Solar Cell Patents (TOP30) as follows:

According to the ranking list, LG Group, Jinko Solar and AIKO Technology rank the first, second and third place respectively, with 1,360 patents, 1,101 patents, and 931 patents accordingly, followed by CSIQ, Panasonic Electric, Samsung Group, LONGi, Sony, KANEKA CORPORATION, and the Atomic Energy and French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. Among them, the top five applicants with valid patent authorization are LG Group (668), Jinko Solar (666), AIKO Technology (609), CSIQ (555), and MAXEON SOLAR (385), respectively.

The abovementioned ranking of applicants in terms of patent applications, to some extent, reflects their technological innovation capabilities in solar cells. An overwhelming majority of the top 30 applicants are corporate applicants, and all of them are well-known domestic or international solar or semiconductor enterprises.

Note: The patent database used in this list is the PatSnap database.