Fastest
Eureka on the web
When you want the answer in the next five minutes.
The agent works the prompt against patents and technical literature, citing every source.
Run your analysis now →https://www.patsnap.com/resources/blog/rd-blog/pv-manufacturing-and-recycling-pv-module-disassembly-patent-landscape-patent-landscape/ · Patsnap · data cut-off 2026-07-31 · downloaded from the live page
Patent Landscape · Solar EnergyPV module disassembly patents: who is filing, and where the claim space is still open
14
Published Records
IN
Leading Jurisdiction
22
Active Filers Ranked
2024
Peak Filing Year
Published byPatsnap Research··6 min readSourced from Patsnap Eureka
Overview
What this landscape covers
PV module disassembly sits at the intersection of manufacturing equipment and end-of-life recycling: patents here claim the mechanical stations, tooling and process sequences that separate a spent or defective photovoltaic module back into its frame, junction box, encapsulated cells and glass. The field is still small and young — 14 published records in scope, with the earliest dated to 2017 and filing activity concentrated in the last few years. Publication lags filing by roughly 18 months, so the 2026 count understates what has actually been filed.
Because volumes are low, individual filings carry disproportionate weight. A handful of receiving offices — India, China, Singapore, the United States and WIPO's PCT route — account for the bulk of activity, and one representative filing from Singapore Polytechnic lays out a full multi-station dismantling line rather than a single mechanism.
Filing activity and technology composition, 2017-2026
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Assignee ranking and totals. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
The data
Filing trend and technology composition
Two views of the same 14-record dataset: how filing activity has moved year over year, and how those records distribute across IPC subclasses. Because a single record can carry more than one IPC class, the composition shares add up to more than the record total.
A thin, recent filing history
The earliest record in scope dates to 2017; activity was sparse through the following years and peaked so far in 2024 at 4 records. With fewer than four complete years of data once the publication lag is accounted for, no reliable growth rate can be stated — treat any year-over-year reading as provisional, especially the partial 2026 count.
Disposal and generation classes dominate over semiconductor-specific claims
H02S (photovoltaic and solar power generation) covers 42.9% of the 14 records and B09B (solid waste disposal) covers 35.7%, together outweighing H01L (semiconductor devices) at 21.4%. Smaller classes — B03B wet separation, H10F photovoltaic devices, B08B cleaning, B23K welding/soldering and B23Q machine tool fittings — each sit at 14.3% or below, marking narrower mechanical sub-routes rather than core disassembly claims.
Shares are the percentage of the 14 records in scope. A patent can carry several IPC classes, so the shares add up to more than 100%.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.
Go deeper on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape with Eureka
This page is one run against one query. Ask Eureka your own question about pv manufacturing & recycling: pv module disassembly patent landscape and every answer comes back with the patent numbers behind it.
Try EurekaKey Patents
The representative filing and the most-cited record
Representative filing
WO2024237862A1 — Apparatuses and methods for dismantling photovoltaic modules
SINGAPORE POLYTECHNIC
Apparatuses, methods and vehicles for dismantling photovoltaic (PV) modules are provided. The apparatuses comprising: a frame removal station, a PV module dismantling station, a solar cell separation station; and one or more conveyor elements configured to convey the PV modules through the stations. A frame is separated from the PV module by the frame removal station to recover the frame and obtain a frameless PV module. A junction box and a back support are separated from the frameless PV module by the PV module dismantling station to obtain a partially disassembled PV module. Encapsulated solar cells are separated from the partially disassembled PV module by the solar cell separation station.Filed by Singapore Polytechnic, published 2024-11-21 — the filing claims a full multi-station line rather than a single mechanism, which is unusual for this field's typically narrower device claims.
Most-cited records in scope
| # | Publication no. | Patent title | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | US20220094299A1 | Dismantling device for frame of PV module | 11 |
| 2 | IN201741017584A | Automatic cleaning of solar PV modules using artificial intelligence | 1 |
Citation counts inside a searched corpus favour older records; read them as a signal of influence on later filers, not as a measure of current commercial importance.
Publication numbers are shown where the record carries one (2 of 2 rows); clicking a row searches Eureka by that number.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Citation counts and representative records. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Run it yourself
Put your own technology through the same analysis
Where to run it
For builders
MCP server & REST API
When it has to run inside your own pipeline.
Patent search, landscape analysis and assignee resolution as MCP tools. Drop them into any agent framework, or call REST directly.
Browse MCP servers →Insights
What the numbers mean for filing strategy
With only 14 records in scope and a ranking of 22 assignees, this is a field defined more by individual filings than by aggregate trend lines. The signals below are read directly from the evidence, not extrapolated.
Leader concentration
6 of 14 families
held by the leading assignee
One assignee holds a visible lead, the rest file singly
The leading assignee in the 22-company ranking accounts for 6 of the 14 records; fifth and tenth place each hold just 1. That gap points to a long tail of single-filing entrants rather than a competitive cluster near the top.
Ranking is counted in records, not weighted by family size beyond what is stated.
Most-cited filing
11 citations
US20220094299A1
One dismantling-device patent is the field's reference point
US20220094299A1, covering a frame dismantling device, draws 11 citations — far ahead of the next most-cited record at 1. Anyone filing a frame-removal mechanism should expect this filing to surface in prior-art searches.
Citation counts favour older, earlier-published records inside this corpus.
Class overlap
42.9% vs 35.7%
H02S vs B09B
Generation and disposal classes carry more claim density than semiconductor classes
H02S (photovoltaic generation) and B09B (solid waste disposal) each cover more of the 14 records than H01L (semiconductor devices) at 21.4%. That split suggests examiners and filers are framing disassembly as a recycling-and-generation problem more than a device-fabrication one.
Shares are of the 14-record total; a record can carry multiple classes.
Filing geography
India 6 of 14
leading receiving office
Filing activity centres on India, with smaller counts split elsewhere
India accounts for 6 of the 14 records as receiving office, ahead of China, Singapore, the United States and WIPO's PCT route at 2 each. A filer targeting global protection should not assume a single dominant jurisdiction outside India.
Receiving office counts are as stated; no further breakdown is available.
Eureka AI Agent
Looking for what nobody has claimed yet?
Eureka can read the same corpus for gaps instead of for coverage: under-claimed branches adjacent to pv manufacturing & recycling: pv module disassembly patent landscape, with the prior art for and against each one.
Source: Patsnap Eureka. Co-assignee relationships and derived observations. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
What's next
Where to take this research
The dataset points to a young, low-volume field where individual filings matter more than trend curves. The next steps depend on whether the goal is freedom-to-operate, whitespace identification, or monitoring a specific competitor.
Run a freedom-to-operate check against the most-cited filing
Before committing to a frame-removal or multi-station dismantling design, check claim scope against US20220094299A1 and the WO2024237862A1 representative filing directly, since both sit closest to the field's core mechanical claims.
Open Eureka to search this landscapeTrack the leading assignee's follow-on filings
With 6 of 14 records already held by one assignee, new publications from that same applicant are the most likely early signal of where the field moves next.
Set up assignee monitoring in EurekaProbe the smaller IPC branches for open claim space
Classes like B08B cleaning, B23K welding/soldering and B23Q machine tool fittings each cover only 1 of 14 records — thin enough that a well-drafted claim in these branches may face little direct prior art.
Explore adjacent classes in EurekaSource: Patsnap Eureka. Forward-looking reading of the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
FAQ
Common questions about PV module disassembly patents
The dataset in scope for this landscape contains 14 published records spanning 2015 to 2026, with the earliest dated 2017. That is a small field by patent landscape standards, and the most recent year's count is understated because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months. The low volume means individual filings, rather than aggregate trend, carry most of the signal for anyone assessing this space.
A ranking of 22 assignees covers the 14 records in scope, with the leading assignee holding 6 records and fifth and tenth place holding just 1 each. That pattern — one clear leader and a long tail of single-filing entrants — suggests the field has not yet consolidated around a small competitive set. Singapore Polytechnic is notable as the filer behind the representative multi-station dismantling filing, WO2024237862A1.
The two largest IPC subclasses are H02S, covering photovoltaic and solar power generation, at 42.9% of the 14 records, and B09B, covering solid waste disposal, at 35.7%. H01L, semiconductor devices, follows at 21.4%. Smaller classes such as B03B wet separation, H10F photovoltaic devices, B08B cleaning, B23K welding/soldering and B23Q machine tool fittings each cover one or two records, marking narrower mechanical sub-routes rather than the field's core.
US20220094299A1 covers a dismantling device for PV module frames and is the most-cited record in this dataset, with 11 citations against a next-highest of 1. That citation gap makes it the field's de facto reference point: any new frame-removal mechanism filing is likely to be compared against it in prior-art search. Citation counts inside a search corpus like this favour earlier-published records, so treat the number as a sign of influence rather than current commercial dominance.
The smallest IPC branches in this dataset — cleaning (B08B), welding/soldering/brazing (B23K) and machine tool fittings (B23Q) — each cover only one of the 14 records, which is thin enough to suggest open claim space around specific tooling and process steps rather than the whole-line concepts already claimed. The disposal-versus-generation split (B09B at 35.7% versus H02S at 42.9%) also indicates that recycling-specific process claims are less crowded than generation-equipment claims. Any first filing in these narrower branches should still be checked against the representative WO2024237862A1 filing, since it claims a full multi-station process that could touch adjacent steps.
Answers are grounded in the same dataset. Derived from a Patsnap search on PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish.Run this in Eureka MCP
Research PV Manufacturing & Recycling: PV Module Disassembly Patent Landscape in depth with Eureka
Go past this page: query the whole pv manufacturing & recycling: pv module disassembly patent landscape corpus yourself, in your own scope.
Every answer comes back with patent numbers you can open.
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.