Maxeon and Tongwei Reach Settlement In Patent Dispute
The photovoltaic industry has another big news. Maxeon Solar Technologies and Tongwei have reached a global patent dispute settlement on shingled solar cells and module technology, ending the lawsuit initiated by Maxeon in Germany in 2023.
The agreement will take effect on November 30, 2024, ending the June 2023 lawsuit initiated by Maxeon in the District Court of Düsseldorf, Germany, which accused Tongwei of infringing European patent number EP3522045 B1. Maxeon uses this technology in its Performance Line solar modules, which was developed based on the intellectual property it obtained when it spun off from SunPower in 2020.
To be honest, patent disputes in the photovoltaic industry are becoming more and more common, but it is really not easy to resolve them through negotiations like Tongwei and Maxeon. The two companies can maintain professionalism and cooperation in such fierce competition, which really makes people see the possibility of "reasoning".
Many people always feel that Chinese companies always suffer losses on intellectual property issues, but this settlement has broken this prejudice.
You know, Tongwei is not a pushover. It dares to face the lawsuit and respond through legal channels. This approach is indeed worthy of praise.
In addition, the photovoltaic industry is developing so fast, and the competition for technology will definitely be more intense. For example, if the patent dispute this time is handled well, it can actually promote healthy competition in the industry, and everyone can benefit from it.
Saudi Arabia spends $260 billion
As an energy powerhouse in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has superior geographical conditions and an average sunshine time of 8.9 hours. With economic development, population growth and accelerated industrialization, Saudi Arabia's demand for energy is growing rapidly. It is predicted that by 2030, Saudi Arabia's total power generation demand will reach 121 billion kWh.
In order to get rid of its dependence on a single energy source, Saudi Arabia proposed the "Vision 2030" in 2016. By 2030, 50% of the country's energy will come from new energy, with photovoltaics being the highlight. To this end, the Saudi Ministry of Energy will invest 1 trillion riyals (about 260 billion US dollars) to support clean energy.