November 20, 2024
Anne Fischer

from magazine pv usa

After considering a complaint from Trinasolar US, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to institute a investigate of Runergy and Adani for possible patent infringement.

Trinasolar, a solar panel supplier from China, filed a complaint in September with the ITC, alleging that Runergy and Adani Green Energy improperly imported and sold projects infringing its TOPCon solar cell patents.

After considering Trina’s complaint, the US government ordered an investigation into whether Runergy and Adani violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. Specifically, the investigation will examine whether Runergy and Adani violated tunnel oxide passivation contact of Trina (TOPCon) solar cell technology patents.

In the complaint, Trina Solar asked the ITC to issue a limited injunction and cease and desist order against Runergy and Adani to prohibit the importation into the United States of certain infringing solar cells, modules, panels, components thereof and products containing the same Trina’s patents.

“Trina is pleased with the ITC’s decision to investigate the unauthorized use of our patented technology,” said Steven Zhu, president of Trinasolar US. “Trina’s commitment to protecting our intellectual property remains steadfast, and we look forward to a swift investigation by the ITC.”

In addition to this action at the ITC, Trinasolar has separate patent infringement lawsuits related to the TOPCon technology pending against Runergy in the District of Delaware and the Central District of California.

In October, Runergy applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office cancel two of Trina Solar’s patentsclaiming that they are not patentable because they are not the result of Trina Solar’s own work.

“The patents were acquired by Trina Solar from others only in February 2024,” Runergy said in a statement. “In 2013, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy already published and described the fabrication of TOPCon solar cells, following on from teachings published even earlier in the 1980s… The two patents acquired by Trina Solar were only filed more than a year after the Fraunhofer Institute. publication 2013. Therefore, it would not be patentable to attempt to cover the TOPCon solar cell with only obvious variations already known in the prior art.”

Trina Solar is headquartered in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China. Trinasolar US is currently developing a 5 GW manufacturing base in Wilmer, Texas. Jiangsu Runergy New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. is based in Yancheng City, China and founded Runergy USA in 2023, which is building a solar manufacturing plant in Alabama. Adani is headquartered in Mundran, India and is building a manufacturing facility in North Carolina.

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