Solar Tracker Patents: Who Leads, Where the Gaps Are 2026
Solar tracker patents: control algorithms, drive mechanisms and structural claims mapped across 876 records
33.6% sits with five assignees. The top five combined hold 294 of 876 records in scope, with a long tail of single- and few-filing entrants behind them. Records rose from 45 in 2017 to a peak of 84 in 2022. The most recent complete comparison — 2021 to 2024 — shows a 9% decline (82 to 75), a modest pullback rather than a collapse. 2025 and 2026 figures are still incomplete because publication typically lags filing by around 18 months, so treat the tail of the chart as a floor, not a ceiling.
- 1NEXTPOWER LLC17.4%
- 2NEXTRACKER LLC5.3%
- 3ARRAY TECHNOLOGIES INC4.0%
- 4OJJO INC3.7%
- 5NEVADOS ENGINEERING INC3.3%
See the full solar tracker control and structures analysis in Eureka
- The complete ranking, not just the top five
- Every IPC branch with its share of the corpus
- The most-cited records, and where claim space is still thin
Common questions on solar tracker patents
Who holds the most solar tracker control and structure patents?
One assignee leads with 152 of the 876 records in this dataset, well ahead of the rest of the field — fifth place holds 29 records and tenth place holds 19. The top five combined account for 33.6% of all records in scope, and the top ten for 45.8%, after which filing counts drop off into a long tail of companies with only a handful of filings each. This shape means competitive monitoring should weight the leader heavily rather than spreading attention evenly across the ranked list.
Is solar tracker patent filing still growing?
Filing activity rose from 45 records in 2017 to a peak of 84 in 2022, then eased to 75 by 2024 — a 9% decline over that three-year span, not a collapse. Figures for 2025 and 2026 look lower still, but publication typically lags actual filing by around 18 months, so those most recent years are undercounted rather than genuinely quiet. A fair read is that the field has cooled modestly from its 2022 high rather than that it is shrinking.
What patent classes cover solar tracker backtracking algorithms?
Backtracking and control logic fall mainly under G05D (control of non-electric variables), which covers 9.2% of the 876 records, with a smaller AI-specific slice under G06N at 3.2%. Most records instead carry core photovoltaic classification under H02S (58.4%) or solar heat collector structure classes F24S and F24J (49.4% and 23.2%), since backtracking claims are usually filed alongside a structural or PV-specific claim rather than standing alone. Anyone drafting a pure control-algorithm claim should expect comparatively less crowded prior art in G05D and G06N than in the structural classes.
Disclaimer. This analysis is based on Patsnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent records and is provided for general information and reference only. Patent data carries inherent limitations — recent filings are under-counted because of publication lag, counts may be on a record or family basis, classification and applicant-name data may contain errors or duplicates, and the underlying search query defines the scope shown — so the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
Nothing here is an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Verify independently and review with qualified patent and legal professionals before acting on it.
Method: Filing trend and technology composition. Derived from a Patsnap search on Solar Tracker Control and Structures covering 2015–2026, data cut-off 2026-07-31. Counts reflect published records only and shift as new filings publish. Every share divides by all records in scope. Data: Patsnap Eureka. See the full landscape report.