Photovoltaic Crystalline Silicon Cells Patent Landscape 2009

Published by	France Innovation Scientifique et Transfert (FIST SA)
Published	October, 2009	Product code	102175
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Introduction
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Photovoltaic Crystalline Silicon Cells Patent Landscape 2009 published by France Innovation Scientifique et Transfert (FIST SA) in October, 2009. This report price starts from US $ 2200.

Introduction

Abstract

Introduction

The economic situation and, in particular, the upward trend in the price of fossil energies and political pressure on the markets induced in part by public opinion and in part by geopolitical aims to loosen the ties of energy dependence has meant that considerable budgets have been allocated over many years to the development of alternative energy sources. The production of photovoltaic electricity is one promising avenue among these various types of "clean energies". Three main technological avenues exist for the photovoltaic energy production market: crystalline silicon, thin films and organic. This study, which focuses on crystalline silicon technology, represents the first part of a three-part analysis of the patent environment in the photovoltaics field.

Crystalline silicon technology, the initial know-how of which was borrowed from the microelectronics industry, is the first to have been developed, from 1960, with the emergence of photovoltaic solar generators on board satellites. Later, the first terrestrial applications targeted isolated sites for which this type of technology was well adapted and for which photovoltaic solutions still often remain today the best option. The first rural electrifications and houses equipped with solar panels first appeared, for their part, in 1980 and have developed increasingly since the arrival of inverters enabling the electricity generated to be injected into the mains network.

Crystalline silicon technology generates a considerable amount of R&D and consequently invention patents, whether for the production of the silicon or for the different steps of manufacturing the cells, with as principal objective to improve the efficiency and to cut the cost of producing the cells. Thus, in 20 years, efficiency has risen from 15% to 42.8% in laboratories. This record was established in September 2007 by an American team, headed by Allen Barnett and Christiana Honsberg and funded by the "Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency" (DARTA) via the project entitled "Very High Efficiency Solar Cell" (VHESC) involving Delaware University, MIT, Georgia Institute of Technology and Rochester University. Over the same period, the efficiency of commercial systems has, in turn, increased from 5% to 22%.

This study aims to establish a panorama of the industrial property in order to provide a clearer insight into the challenges and issues at stake and to position the different players associated in silicon technology and provide a complementary outlook to market studies. After an overall analysis of the photovoltaics field, aimed at evaluating the technological weighting of each of the technologies involved (crystalline silicon, thin films and organic), we have focused herein more in detail on patents and patent applications, filed between 1985 and mid 2007, that can be associated with crystalline silicon technology.

METHODOLOGY

INTRODUCTION

1. BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE PHOTOVOLTAICS MARKET

2. GLOBAL OVERVIEW OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PATENTS

2.1. Technological segmentation
2.2. Segmentation by application
2.3. Zoom on companies involved in the market
2.4. Zoom on CANON
2.4.1. History of patent application filings and ambitions?
2.4.2. Segmentation of the patent portfolio
2.4.3. Filing policy
2.4.4. Analysis of the patent portfolio

3. CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENTS - GLOBAL ANALYSIS

3.1. Protection strategies
3.1.1. Evolution in patent filings
3.1.2. Priority filings
3.1.3. Protection cover
3.2. Technological maturity factors
3.2.1. Analysis of the evolution in filings
3.2.2. Analysis of industrial filings over time
3.2.3. Topology of the size of portfolios
3.2.4. Analysis of the granting of patents
3.2.5. Evolution in the number of applicants
3.3.Applicants
3.3.1. Major applicants
3.3.2. Emerging applicants
3.3.3. Major collaborations
3.4. Topology of patents in the sector
3.4.1. Segmentation of patents by technologies
3.4.2. Technological segments protected by the major players
3.4.3. Segmentation of patents by IPC code
3.4.4. Breakdown of the major IPC codes of the major players

4. CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENTS - JAPAN FOCUS

4.1. Overall data
4.2.Applicants
4.3. Inventors

5. CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENTS - EUROPEAN FOCUS

5.1. Overall data
5.2.Applicants
5.3. Inventors

6. CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENTS - UNITED STATES FOCUS

6.1. Overall data
6.2.Applicants
6.3. Inventors

CONCLUSIONS

APPENDIX

APPENDIX 1: LIST OF 124 COMPANIES PRESENT ON THE PHOTOVOLTAICS MARKET AND THEIR ASSOCIATED PATENT PORTFOLIOS
APPENDIX 2: EVOLUTION OVER TIME OF THE FILINGS OF THE COMPANIES PRESENT ON THE PHOTOVOLTAICS MARKET

List of Figures

FIGURE 1 - PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL PRODUCTION (MW), ANNUAL PHOTOVOLTAIC PRODUCTION BY COUNTRY, 1995-2007
FIGURE 2 - WORLD PHOTOVOLTAICS MARKET (CUMULATIVE INSTALLATIONS)
FIGURE 3 - MARKET SEGMENTATION BY TECHNOLOGY (PHOTON INTERNATIONAL, MARCH 2006)
FIGURE 4 - TOP CELL MANUFACTURERS (PRODUCTION MW, PHOTON INTERNATIONAL, 2007)
FIGURE 5 - EVOLUTION IN GLOBAL PATENT FILINGS
FIGURE 6 - TECHNOLOGICAL SEGMENTATION
FIGURE 7 - NICHE MARKET BY APPLICANT - 1/2
FIGURE 8 - NICHE MARKET BY APPLICANT - 2/2
FIGURE 9 - TOPOLOGY OF THE PATENT PORTFOLIOS OF THE IDENTIFIED COMPANIES
FIGURE 10 - EVOLUTION IN CANON' S PATENT FILINGS
FIGURE 11 - CANON' S PORTFOLIO SEGMENTATION
FIGURE 12 - CANON' S PATENT EXTENSIONS MAP
FIGURE 13 - EVOLUTION IN CANON' S EXTENSIONS
FIGURE 14 - CANON' S EXTENSION MODE OVER TIME
FIGURE 15 - OVERVIEW OF CANON' S GRANTED PATENTS
FIGURE 16 - CANON' S MAJOR TEAMS
FIGURE 17 - EVOLUTION IN CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENT FILINGS
FIGURE 18 - MAP OF PRIORITY FILINGS CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
FIGURE 19 - EVOLUTION IN PRIORITY FILINGS CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
FIGURE 20 - MAP OF PRIORITY FILINGS / ZOOM ON ASIA
FIGURE 21 - CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELL PATENT EXTENSIONS MAP
FIGURE 22 - EVOLUTION IN EXTENSIONS CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
FIGURE 23 - FORECAST OF THE NUMBER OF FILINGS
FIGURE 24 - EVOLUTION IN THE BREAKDOWN OF INDUSTRIAL PATENTS CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
FIGURE 25 - PORTFOLIO SIZE VS. NUMBER OF PLAYERS
FIGURE 26 - OVERVIEW OF "CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS" GRANTED PATENTS
FIGURE 27 - EVOLUTION IN THE NUMBER OF APPLICANTS
FIGURE 28 - MAJOR APPLICANTS IN THE FIELD
FIGURE 29 - BREAKDOWN OF PATENT PORTFOLIOS BY APPLICANT
FIGURE 30 - PRINCIPAL APPLICANTS OVER THE PERIOD 2004-2007
FIGURE 31 - GLOBAL COLLABORATIONS MAP CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
FIGURE 32 - SEGMENTATION OF SILICON BASED PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL PATENT PORTFOLIOS
FIGURE 33 - TOPICS OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS
FIGURE 34 - BREAKDOWN OF THE MAIN IPC CODES APPEARING IN PATENT APPLICATIONS
FIGURE 35 - BREAKDOWN OF THE MAJOR IPC CODES OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS
FIGURE 36 - EVOLUTION IN THE NUMBER OF JAPANESE PRIORITY FILINGS
FIGURE 37 - EVOLUTION IN JAPANESE FILINGS AND BREAKDOWN OF INDUSTRIAL PATENTS
FIGURE 38 - MAP OF EXTENSIONS (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
FIGURE 39 - EVOLUTION IN EXTENSIONS (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
FIGURE 40 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANT TIME OF JAPANESE PATENTS
FIGURE 41 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANTING OF JP PATENTS
FIGURE 42 - MAJOR APPLICANTS IN THE FIELD (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
FIGURE 43 - BREAKDOWN OF PATENT PORTFOLIOS BY APPLICANT (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
FIGURE 44 - MAJOR JAPANESE COLLABORATIONS MAP
FIGURE 45 - EMERGING JAPANESE INVENTOR TEAMS (SINCE 2003)
FIGURE 46 - TOPICS OF THE MAJOR JAPANESE INVENTORS
FIGURE 47 - EVOLUTION IN THE NUMBER OF FILINGS (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
FIGURE 48 - EVOLUTION IN EUROPEAN FILINGS AND BREAKDOWN OF INDUSTRIAL PATENTS
FIGURE 49 - MAP OF PRIORITY FILINGS / ZOOM ON EUROPE
FIGURE 50 - PATENT EXTENSIONS MAP (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
FIGURE 51 - EVOLUTION IN EXTENSIONS (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
FIGURE 52 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANT TIME OF EUROPEAN PATENTS
FIGURE 53 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANTING OF EUROPEAN PATENTS
FIGURE 54 - MAJOR APPLICANTS IN THE FIELD (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
FIGURE 55 - BREAKDOWN OF PATENT PORTFOLIOS BY APPLICANT (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
FIGURE 56 - MAJOR EUROPEAN COLLABORATIONS MAP
FIGURE 57 - EMERGING EUROPEAN INVENTOR TEAMS (SINCE 2003)
FIGURE 58 - TOPICS OF THE MAJOR EUROPEAN INVENTORS
FIGURE 59 - EVOLUTION IN THE NUMBER OF FILINGS (US PRIORITY)
FIGURE 60 - EVOLUTION IN US FILINGS AND BREAKDOWN OF INDUSTRIAL PATENTS
FIGURE 61 - PATENT EXTENSIONS MAP (US PRIORITY)
FIGURE 62 - EVOLUTION IN EXTENSIONS (US PRIORITY)
FIGURE 63 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANT TIME OF US PATENTS
FIGURE 64 - EVOLUTION IN THE GRANTING OF US PATENTS
FIGURE 65 - MAJOR APPLICANTS IN THE FIELD (US PRIORITY)
FIGURE 66 - BREAKDOWN OF PATENT PORTFOLIOS BY APPLICANT (US PRIORITY)
FIGURE 67 - MAJOR US COLLABORATIONS MAP
FIGURE 68 - EMERGING US INVENTOR TEAMS (SINCE 2003)
FIGURE 69 - TOPICS OF THE MAJOR US INVENTORS

List of Tables

TABLE 1 - FILINGS OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS OVER TIME CONCERNING CRYSTALLINE SILICON CELLS
TABLE 2 - EMERGING APPLICANTS
TABLE 3 - IPC APPEARANCE
TABLE 4 - EVOLUTION IN THE PATENT FILINGS OF MAJOR PLAYERS (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
TABLE 5 - EVOLUTION IN PATENT APPLICATION FILINGS BY INVENTOR (JAPANESE PRIORITY)
TABLE 6 - EVOLUTION IN THE PATENT FILINGS OF MAJOR PLAYERS (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
TABLE 7 - EVOLUTION IN PATENT APPLICATION FILINGS BY INVENTOR (EUROPEAN PRIORITY)
TABLE 8 - EVOLUTION IN THE PATENT FILINGS OF MAJOR PLAYERS (US PRIORITY)
TABLE 9 - EVOLUTION IN PATENT APPLICATION FILINGS BY INVENTOR (US PRIORITY)