Perovskite Solar Cell Module Manufacturing Patent Landscape
Perovskite Solar Cell Module Manufacturing Patent Landscape in 2026
The perovskite solar cell module manufacturing patent field is in a strong growth phase, with filings surging dramatically over the multi-year window and China-based applicants commanding the dominant position. Trina Solar leads the field, and the top five filers collectively account for a meaningful but not overwhelming share of activity among the hundred largest filers, signaling that the race is still open to well-positioned challengers.
Trina Solar leads a China-concentrated but still-contested field
Trina Solar Co Ltd holds the top position with 217 patent families, more than double the second-ranked Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute at 106 patent families, establishing a clear but not unassailable lead.
The top five filers — Trina Solar, Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute, Wuxi Utmost Light Technology, Contemporary Amperex Technology, and Chint New Energy Technology — account for 19% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, indicating moderate concentration with substantial room for challengers in the tier below.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trina Solar Co Ltd | 217 | |
| 2 | Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | 106 | |
| 3 | Wuxi Utmost Light Technology Co Ltd | 78 | |
| 4 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd | 77 | |
| 5 | Chint New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 64 | |
| 6 | Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co Ltd | 62 | |
| 7 | Hanwha Solutions Corp | 57 | |
| 8 | Northwestern Polytechnical University | 52 | |
| 9 | RES & BUSINESS FOUND SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIV | 47 | |
| 10 | Soochow University | 44 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nankai University | 43 | |
| 12 | Nanjing Tech University | 40 | |
| 13 | Renshuo Photovoltaic Energy (Suzhou) Co Ltd | 40 | |
| 14 | UNIV OF ELECTRONICS SCI & TECH OF CHINA | 38 | |
| 15 | China Three Gorges Corporation | 36 | |
| 16 | Xidian University | 36 | |
| 17 | Qibin New Energy Development (Shenzhen) Co Ltd | 36 | |
| 18 | Shenzhen Phenosolar Technology Co Ltd | 35 | |
| 19 | Shaanxi Normal University | 35 | |
| 20 | Jilin University | 34 |
The leaders’ positions reflect rapid recent entry: every tracked top applicant carries a ‘new entrant’ momentum designation, confirming that today’s rankings were largely established within the most recent filing window rather than through decades of incremental accumulation.
The most recent 18–24 months of data are subject to publication lag and will understate true filing volumes; rankings and shares should be read as provisional for that period. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Explosive multi-year growth anchored in organic semiconductor device classes
The filing trend reveals a field that shifted from modest early activity to high-volume annual output beginning in 2022, while the technology composition is dominated by a single broad IPC class with a long tail of adjacent chemical and process branches.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings climbed from 62 in 2017 to a recorded peak of 1,325 in 2024, representing a multi-year growth of 1,050%. The 2025 and 2026 figures should be read as understated due to publication lag; the underlying growth trajectory has not demonstrably reversed.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H10K (organic semiconductors, which encompasses perovskite photovoltaic device structures) accounts for the vast majority of classified records, reflecting the device-level focus of most filings. H01L (semiconductor devices) is the next largest branch, followed by a dispersed tail of coating, nanotechnology, and materials chemistry classes that collectively represent adjacent process and materials innovation.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Perovskite solar cell manufacturing device, perovs…
The present invention is a perovskite solar cell manufacturing device 1 comprising perovskite crystals on a substrate S. The perovskite solar cell manufacturing device 1 comprises a first droplet-dropping means 42 that drops a perovskite precursor solution L1 onto the substrate S, a spin coater 30 that causes the substrate S to rotate, a second… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 一种钙钛矿太阳能电池的化学气相沉积制备方法 | 69 |
| 2 | 一种钙钛矿太阳能电池及其溶液法制备方法 | 69 |
| 3 | 一种改善钙钛矿太阳电池吸光层性能的方法 | 65 |
| 4 | Tandem solar cell, tandem solar cell module compri… | 55 |
| 5 | 一种平面异质结钙钛矿太阳能电池及其制备方法 | 54 |
| 6 | Perovskite solar cell and preparing method of the … | 53 |
| 7 | 一种基于全涂布工艺的钙钛矿太阳能电池的制备方法 | 47 |
| 8 | Monolithic Tandem Chalcopyrite-Perovskite Photovol… | 43 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a growth-stage lifecycle, moderate top-tier concentration, active institutional collaboration, and strong geographic skew toward. China shapes where strategic R&D bets carry the most differentiated value.
Growth stage: filing volumes are still expanding on a multi-year basis
The lifecycle assessment classifies this field as Growth, with annual filings still rising and recent years understated by publication lag. The 1,050% multi-year growth rate confirms that the field has not yet reached saturation. Entrants who establish foundational positions now face a field where prior-art density is rising rapidly but core manufacturing process claims remain contestable.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a large, active second tier
The top five filers hold 19% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, leaving the remaining 95 ranked applicants with the majority of activity. The gap between first-ranked Trina Solar (217 patent families) and the top of the second tier is meaningful but not prohibitive. Universities and research institutes — including Northwestern Polytechnical University and Sungkyunkwan University — are active at ranks 8 and 9, indicating that academic-to-industry transfer remains a viable entry path.
Moderate concentrationHuaneng group and Sungkyunkwan ecosystem are the most active co-filers
The most active collaboration pair is Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute with Huaneng Qinghai Power (34 joint filings) and Huaneng Renewables (32 joint filings), showing a vertically integrated energy-group strategy. Sungkyunkwan University’s industry-academic cooperative body co-files actively with the Multiscale Energy Systems Research Group (21 filings), Seoul National University R&DB Foundation (8 filings), and Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (6 filings), forming a distinct Korean academic cluster. Contemporary Amperex Technology co-files with its Shanghai Future Energy Research Institute (15 filings), reflecting battery-to-solar technology transfer within a corporate group.
Ecosystem co-filingChina overwhelmingly dominant; Korea and the US are the only significant secondary offices
China accounts for the large majority of jurisdiction-level records, reflecting both the home-market filing strategies of Chinese applicants and the country’s role as the primary manufacturing jurisdiction. South Korea is the next most active office, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. European and Japanese coverage is comparatively thin, suggesting that international protection strategies outside Asia remain underdeveloped across most applicants.
China-centric geographyGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | Huaneng Qinghai Power Co Ltd | 34 |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | Huaneng Renewables Corporation Limited | 32 |
| Sungkyunkwan University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | Global Frontier Center for Multiscale Energy Systems | 21 |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd | Contemporary Amperex Future Energy Research Institute (Shanghai) Co Ltd | 15 |
| Northwestern Polytechnical University | Northwestern Polytechnical University Shenzhen Research Institute | 9 |
| Sungkyunkwan University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | Seoul National University R&DB Foundation | 8 |
| Sungkyunkwan University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation | Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology | 6 |
| Trina Solar Co Ltd | Trina Solar (Changzhou) Technology Co Ltd | 4 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co Ltd | Tongwei Solar Energy (Meishan) Co Ltd | 4 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co Ltd | Southwest Petroleum University | 4 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Trina Solar and Huaneng Clean Energy lead with distinct corporate vs. research-institute profiles
The two largest patent family holders approach the space from different organizational bases — one as a commercial module manufacturer, the other as a state-owned energy group’s research arm — but both concentrate their technical emphasis on H10K device-structure classes.
Trina Solar Co Ltd
Trina Solar holds 217 patent families, ranking first overall, and carries a ‘new entrant’ momentum designation, indicating that its lead was built entirely within the most recent filing window. Its technical focus is concentrated in H10K30 and H10K71 sub-classes (device structures and manufacturing processes for organic/perovskite semiconductors), with H10K85 (materials) as a secondary emphasis. This profile is consistent with a vertically integrated module manufacturer targeting proprietary process claims.
families: 217Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute
Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute holds 106 patent families at rank two, also designated a ‘new entrant,’ and co-files extensively with sister entities Huaneng Qinghai Power and Huaneng Renewables, suggesting a coordinated group-level IP strategy rather than standalone research output. Its technical profile mirrors the leader’s H10K71 and H10K30 focus, with H10K85 materials claims as a third pillar, positioning it as the leading state-enterprise counterpart to Trina Solar’s commercial leadership.
families: 106| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Trina Solar Co Ltd | 151 | ▲ new entrant |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | 70 | ▲ new entrant |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd | 94 | ▲ new entrant |
| Wuxi Utmost Light Technology Co Ltd | 73 | ▲ new entrant |
| Chint New Energy Technology Co Ltd | 61 | ▲ new entrant |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co Ltd | 33 | ▲ new entrant |
| Hanwha Solutions Corp | 41 | ▲ new entrant |
| Northwestern Polytechnical University | 29 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served process and materials branches adjacent to the dominant device class
Several IPC branches appear at low shares relative to the dominant H10K class, representing areas where patent density is sparse; among these, coating and deposition process classes and nanotechnology applications carry the clearest plausible technical relevance to scalable module manufacturing.
C23C · Coating & surface deposition processes
C23C covers vapor deposition and surface coating techniques directly relevant to perovskite absorber and charge-transport layer deposition at module scale. With low share relative to H10K, this branch is sparsely covered despite being a critical manufacturing process bottleneck. Applicants with process engineering capabilities — particularly those targeting roll-to-roll or large-area deposition — may find this branch an accessible entry point for differentiated claims that are not yet heavily contested.
Search this in Eureka →B82Y · Nanotechnology applications
B82Y captures nanotechnology-specific claim structures relevant to quantum dot, nanoparticle, and nanocomposite components used in perovskite device engineering. Its low share suggests that nanostructured interfacial layers and additive strategies — increasingly central to efficiency and stability at the module level — are not yet being claimed under this classification at scale. Researchers and companies active in nano-additive formulation or nanostructured electron/hole transport layers may find meaningful claim space here.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology sub-classes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H10K 30 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 71 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H10K 85 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) | H01L 31 · Semiconductor devices | H10K 39 · Organic semiconductors (OLED etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trina Solar Co Ltd | Strong · 206 | Strong · 203 | Moderate · 101 | Absent | Moderate · 44 |
| Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute | Strong · 100 | Strong · 102 | Strong · 56 | Absent | Absent |
| Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 77 | Strong · 78 | Strong · 45 | Moderate · 19 | Absent |
| Wuxi Utmost Light Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 73 | Strong · 76 | Moderate · 30 | Absent | Absent |
| Chint New Energy Technology Co Ltd | Strong · 62 | Strong · 61 | Strong · 37 | Absent | Emerging · 8 |
| Tongwei Solar Energy (Chengdu) Co Ltd | Strong · 58 | Strong · 58 | Moderate · 22 | Absent | Moderate · 13 |
| Hanwha Solutions Corp | Strong · 56 | Strong · 39 | Strong · 36 | Absent | Moderate · 12 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus analyzed contains 4,264 patent families covering perovskite solar cell module manufacturing on a global basis.
Trina Solar Co Ltd leads with 217 patent families, more than double the second-ranked Huaneng Clean Energy Research Institute at 106 patent families.
The field is classified as Growth stage. Annual filings are still rising on a multi-year basis, with a recorded 1,050% growth rate over the analysis window. The most recent years are likely understated due to publication lag.
China accounts for the large majority of jurisdiction-level records. South Korea is the next most significant office, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. European and Japanese coverage is comparatively limited.
H10K (organic semiconductors, covering perovskite device structures) is by far the dominant class. Sparser adjacent branches include C23C (coating and surface deposition), B82Y (nanotechnology applications), C01G (compounds of other metals), and C07F (organo-metallic compounds), all of which have lower patent record counts relative to the dominant class.
Yes. Northwestern Polytechnical University ranks eighth with 52 patent families, and Sungkyunkwan University’s industry-academic cooperative body ranks ninth with 47 patent families. Multiple other Chinese and Korean universities appear in the top 20, and active collaboration networks — particularly around Sungkyunkwan University and the Huaneng group — show that institutional co-filing is a structurally important feature of this landscape.
Ready to map your own perovskite solar cell patent landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.