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Featured in The power puzzle – 06 – 2026

The swiftest route to scale

US tandem cell startup Swift Solar acquired an extensive set of intellectual property earlier this year related to heterojunction (HJT) solar cell production from now-defunct manufacturer Meyer Burger. It is also now working with some of the experts who were key to developing the technology. pv magazine spoke with Swift Solar CEO Joel Jean and former Meyer Burger CEO Gunter Erfurt about the company’s plans to apply its newly acquired knowledge to manufacturing in the United States.
Mark Hutchins
By
Mark Hutchins
Swift Solar CEO Joel Jean (left) with Gunter Erfurt. | Image: Swift Solar

Recent disputes involving tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) solar cell technology illustrate how patent enforcement can shape manufacturing strategy, constrain technology adoption, and create downstream ripples. Solar cell technology provides a useful lens for understanding how intellectual property (IP) risk operates across the US solar industry, as Isaku Begert, an associate at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun …

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