Canadian Solar Responds to Patent Infringement Suit Filed by Solaria

Solaria had filed suit against Canadian Solar in California for infringing on its US patent. And now, Canadian Solar has responded to the complaint.

The Solaria Corporation, a US-based global provider of advanced solar energy products, had announced earlier this month that it had filed suit against Canadian Solar, the leading Chinese solar panel manufacturer, in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of California for infringing Solaria’s US patent that covers a process for separating photovoltaic (PV) strips from solar cells for use in tiled or so-called “shingled” solar modules. And now, Canadian Solar has responded to the complaint.

In a statement, the firm has stated that it is aware that Oakland-based Solaria Corporation recently filed a complaint against Canadian Solar and Canadian Solar (USA) for patent infringement in the Northern District of California, citing a portion of the process for making its shingled-cell solar modules (HiDM High-Density Mono Perc Modules). The firms’ many other products are not cited in the complaint. 

“Canadian Solar believes that the claims in Solaria’s complaint are meritless and unfounded.  Canadian Solar is working closely with its legal counsel and will vigorously defend against the claims made by Solaria,” it said.

Further adding that as one of the world’s largest solar power companies, the company respects and takes very seriously intellectual property rights. Canadian Solar Inc was founded in 2001 and has continually invested in R&D to build its innovation leadership and provide customers with the highest yield and lowest LCOE systems. 

“The Company has received 95 patents in various countries for its shingled-cell designs and inventions, with an additional 75 patent applications pending review. The Company has received an additional 1,519 patents for its other innovations in the area of solar power generation and storage,” it stated.

Shingled modules have higher power and are more efficient than conventional solar modules.

Solaria had asserted in the lawsuit that it first introduced Canadian Solar to its high-efficiency, high-density module (HDM) technology in 2014 when representatives of Canadian Solar evaluated Solaria’s next-generation shingling technology for a potential licensing deal. After further collaborations between the companies over the ensuing year, in which Solaria disclosed its proprietary technology and business strategies to Canadian Solar under an NDA, no deal was reached.