Legal

JinkoSolar did not infringe a patent asserted by Hanwha Q CELLS according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which affirmed an International Trade Commission finding from 2020.

In handing down $2.5 million in fines, Victoria’s Essential Services Commission chair Kate Symon said it was the strongest action taken against an energy company, whose representatives engaged in fraudulent activity.

Meyer Burger claims machines to produce perovskite tandem solar cells are still missing at Oxford PV’s manufacturing plant in Germany’s Brandenburg an der Havel. Despite this, Oxford PV terminated the cooperation with the turnkey machine supplier in a surprise move last week. The Swiss technology group, which now produces its own heterojunction solar cells and modules in Germany, is now considering legal action.

Responding to a petition seeking an order to protect vulnerable wildlife habitats, the High Court of Bangladesh has told policymakers in Dhaka to draw up a plan for 100% clean energy.

Korean solar manufacturer Hanwha Q Cells has told pv magazine a Dutch court which gave it permission to seize a shipment of solar products made by Chinese rival Longi Solar at the warehouse of a storage keeper last month, has confirmed Longi can reclaim the PV products upon proof they will not be distributed in European markets where a Hanwha technology patent applies.

The Chinese solar glass maker, which claimed a positive legal judgement in the European General Court in 2019, is now likely to have that victory set aside by the European Court of Justice, with an advocate-general saying the company benefited from an income tax regime which may have unfairly distorted its operations.

The Chinese solar giant today announced a final written decision published by the American authorities which reportedly invalidates Hanwha Q Cells patents. That development appears to have come 12 days after the Korean manufacturer carried out a seizure of a Longi panel shipment in Rotterdam on the basis of the potential for the infringement of Hanwha patents which apply in Europe.

A shipment of modules from the Chinese solar manufacturer was reportedly seized in the Netherlands last month on the orders of Korean rival Hanwha Q Cells, which persuaded a Dutch court the products might be distributed in third-party nations in infringement of one of its European patents.

The Biden Administration’s decision to ban solar imports from four Xinjiang-based polysilicon manufacturers has already raised concerns. One analyst warns of a “significant negative impact” across the U.S. solar industry.

Are solar projects always a sustainable investment class? How can buyers be certain an asset is a lucrative investment? And how can PV project developers fulfill the requirements set by asset managers? This year’s Asset Management Roundtable brought together stakeholders that deal with PV projects from a financial, legal, and technical perspective. You can now watch the video to discover the answers to these questions.