The solar energy industry has seen substantial growth over the past decade. According to the Global Electricity Review 2026, global solar generation reached 2778 TWh in 2025, overtaking wind for the first time and accounting for approximately 8.7% of global electricity generation, compared to 1.1% in 2015. Solar generation increased by 636 TWh during 2025 alone, meeting 75% of global electricity demand growth. Furthermore, 50 countries now generate more than 10% of their electricity from solar power, compared to only 15 countries in 2020.
This growth has been supported by significant reductions in module costs and continued expansion of manufacturing capacity. Solar module prices reportedly fell by approximately 90% between 2015 – 2024, whilst 647 GW of new solar capacity was added globally in 2025 alone. As a result, photovoltaic (PV) technologies have evolved from an emerging renewable energy source into a major contributor to global electricity generation.
Patent ownership and transaction trends can often serve as a useful indicator for understanding how companies respond to changing market dynamics. Traditionally, patent portfolios within the PV sector were accumulated primarily to protect technologies incorporated into products that companies intended to manufacture and sell. Patent protection helped prevent competitors from copying commercially significant innovations and supported investment in bringing new photovoltaic products to market.
However, as solar markets mature, the role of patent portfolios within the PV sector is increasingly expanding beyond product protection. Patent portfolios are becoming tools not only for protecting what a company makes and sells, but also for generating value through licensing activities, portfolio sales, technology transfers, and other commercial arrangements. In this respect, patent portfolios can allow innovation to continue generating returns long after manufacturing activities have ceased or a company has exited a particular market. Whether a portfolio can continue to generate such returns will, however, often depend on how broadly and strategically the underlying intellectual property has been protected. Whilst patents directed narrowly to particular products may have limited residual value once those products leave the market, patents protecting broader technical concepts can remain valuable long after manufacturing has ceased.
Portfolio value in a maturing solar market
The increasing importance of patent licensing and portfolio transactions is not unique to the solar sector. The mobile phone industry provides a useful example. Former market leaders such as Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and LG invested heavily in technology development during periods of rapid growth. Whilst the handset market changed considerably over time, many of the patent portfolios generated during that period continued to retain substantial commercial significance through licensing and other monetisation activities long after the associated product lines had declined. Increasingly, similar dynamics can also be observed within the solar sector.
LG Electronics provides an example of how patent portfolios can continue creating value after a company has exited a market. In 2022, the company announced its withdrawal from solar manufacturing, citing increasing competition and continuing business challenges within the sector.
The decision was notable because LG had established a strong reputation for high-efficiency photovoltaic products and had invested heavily in advanced N-type cell architectures, a technology direction that has subsequently gained significant traction across the solar industry.
This example illustrates how those who pioneer new technologies do not always remain major market participants. As solar markets mature, factors such as manufacturing scale, supply chain efficiencies, and production costs have become increasingly important determinants of commercial success. Thus, companies with strong technological capabilities may conclude that resources can be deployed more effectively elsewhere whilst continuing to derive value from innovations developed within the sector.
This is where patent portfolios can become particularly important. Following its withdrawal from solar manufacturing, LG reportedly transferred 352 US solar patents and more than 590 Korean solar patents to JinkoSolar, with industry reports suggesting that the wider transaction may have involved approximately 2000 solar patent assets globally.
The transaction demonstrates that the end of a manufacturing operation does not necessarily mark the end of the commercial life of the underlying technology. Rather, patent portfolios may provide a mechanism through which value generated from earlier R&D investments can continue to be realised long after products have left the market.
The long commercial life of solar technologies
Recent high-profile disputes in Europe relating to TOPCon (Tunnel Oxide Pas-sivated Contact) solar cells provide a particularly interesting illustration of this principle.
TOPCon architectures utilise a thin tunnel oxide layer and passivated contacts to improve performance compared with earlier photovoltaic technologies and are expected to account for an increasingly large share of global solar manufacturing over the coming years.
Several important European patents relating to TOPCon technologies, including EP2787541 (Solar Cell) and EP4092759 (Solar Cell Panel), were originally filed by LG Electronics during its participation in the solar sector. Following LG's withdrawal from solar manufacturing, these patents were transferred through subsequent portfolio transactions, first to JinkoSolar and subsequently to JingAo Solar, and continue to form part of commercially significant patent portfolios within the solar sector.
Notably, these patents have continued to feature in high-profile disputes in Europe involving JingAo Solar and Astronergy, with parallel proceedings before both the European Patent Office (EPO) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC) examining aspects of the patents' validity and enforcement.
The continuing relevance of these patents shows that the commercial lifespan of a technology is not necessarily limited by the lifespan of the business that first developed it. Ownership may change, manufacturing strategies may change, and competitive landscapes may evolve, yet the underlying patents can continue influencing market behaviour and generating revenue for many years.
Strategic considerations for solar innovators
As solar markets continue to mature, several strategic considerations emerge for businesses developing the next generation of photovoltaic technologies. Firstly, businesses may wish to consider patent portfolios in the context of multiple potential commercial outcomes. Whilst protecting products remains an important objective, patent portfolios can also support licensing activities, collaborative development arrangements, acquisitions, divestments, and technology transfer opportunities. The relative importance of these outcomes will, of course, depend on the company's technology, market position, and broader commercial strategy.
Secondly, there may be advantages in focusing protection on technologies likely to remain commercially relevant as the industry evolves. Potential examples include advanced cell architectures, manufacturing processes, automation technologies, predictive maintenance systems, grid integration technologies, and future generations of tandem or perovskite-based devices, although, as with any technology forecast, the future direction of innovation remains difficult to predict.
Finally, as both the solar industry and other mature technology sectors witnessed, the commercial significance of innovation is not always reflected solely by market share or manufacturing output. In some instances, patent portfolios have continued to generate value long after the original business model, product line, or market position has changed.
The solar industry continues to evolve rapidly, and the role played by patent portfolios is likely to evolve alongside it. Whilst patents have traditionally been viewed principally as tools for protecting products and supporting commercialisation, recent developments suggest that they may also provide mechanisms for pre-serving and transferring value as markets mature. Although every business will face different commercial circumstances, patent portfolios can remain commercially relevant throughout a much larger portion of a technology's lifecycle than is sometimes assumed.
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable industry, read the latest issue of Energy Global magazine.
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