Trina Solar has won the Outstanding Chinese Patent Award for its invention patent “A bifacial monocrystalline silicon solar cell and its preparation method” on October 18, the third time the company has won the honor.
The award-winning patent, No. ZL201610328025.3, achieved a breakthrough in key technologies for producing bifacial solar cells with high-quality back surface fields and stronger optical absorption. This generally solves the core issue of photovoltaic conversion in bifacial solar cells, and it has clear value and significance in greatly increasing the efficiency of PV power generation and reducing electricity costs.
Dr Feng Zhiqiang, vice president of Trina Solar and director of the State Key Laboratory of PV Science and Technology, said he was delighted by the news that Trina Solar had won the award.
“This affirms the company’s longstanding commitment to technical innovation and IP protection. Intellectual property underpins and safeguards the growth of innovation-led companies. We consider our IP processes a key component of the innovation processes used in our Centre for Technical Innovation. We will continue to refine our IP implementation strategy to create value for the company’s long-term growth and to serve as a model for industry development.”
Trina Solar places great importance on patents and intellectual property. It held more than 750 valid patents in July, including more than 280 invention patents. Trina Solar consistently ranks at the forefront of the industry for the number of valid invention patents held, and it has established a comprehensive internal system for IP management and operations. In August 2018 the Chinese National Intellectual Property Administration rated it as a “Leading national intellectual property company”. Also last year it was included in the IP Competitiveness Report: Top 100 Chinese Companies, published by Hurun Report, and this year it was included in the Top 500 Chinese Companies by Patent.
The Chinese Patent Awards are China’s only state-government-level awards specifically dedicated to recognising patented inventions. They are endorsed by the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organisation and thus have considerable influence internationally. The awards criteria consider not only novelty, innovativeness and practicality of patent technology, but also the benefits of a patent's commercialisation. They also include requirements relating to the protection status and management of inventions, making the awards a comprehensive indicator of core technology standards, innovation capability and production capacity.