News: Photovoltaics
30 October 2026
First Solar licensing CubicPV’s US patents for perovskite solar technology
Cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin-film photovoltaic (PV) module maker First Solar Inc of Tempe, AZ, USA has signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement granting it access to the issued and pending US patents covering perovskite solar technology of CubicPV Inc of Bedford, MA, USA.
The license further clears the path for First Solar to continue its development of PV devices built with a perovskite semiconductor for the US utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential markets, and applies to sales and distribution of those products domestically.
First Solar, the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere and the world's largest thin film producer, has invested over $2bn in thin-film R&D, including its efforts to advance its perovskite program. Investments include a new perovskite development line at its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus that produces small-form-factor modules featuring a perovskite semiconductor, allowing First Solar to meet key internal milestones in its perovskite development program, including initial-stage efficiency, stability, and manufacturability objectives. It is also investing in a larger pilot line — capable of producing modules equivalent in dimensions to its Series 6 module — in Ohio, which is expected to reach operational readiness in first-half 2027.
“Commercializing the next generation of PV takes two things. It takes the technology development and manufacturing scaling work our R&D teams are focused on, and it takes freedom to operate, which is what this agreement helps secure,” says CEO Mark Widmar. “We’ve always believed intellectual property rights should be respected, and this is consistent with that. This is a new semiconductor technology with real disruptive potential, and we want to get it right.”
CubicPV has spent over a decade developing, testing and fielding perovskite technology to build a body of foundational patents and intellectual property. Guided by a durability-first philosophy, it translates breakthrough science into demonstrated product performance, combining technical expertise with scaleable manufacturing processes to accelerate the commercialization of next-generation solar technology.
“Access to intellectual property is vital as the industry begins commercializing perovskite and tandem technologies,” says CubicPV’s CEO Tim McCaffery. “First Solar's decision to license our IP is evidence of that shift and shows the relevance of our IP portfolio to the perovskite ecosystem.”
First Solar operates the largest solar technology manufacturing and R&D footprint in the Western Hemisphere, with five fully vertically integrated manufacturing facilities operating in Alabama, Louisiana, and Ohio. A sixth operating facility, in South Carolina, onshores final production processes for Series 6 Plus modules initiated by the company’s international fleet. By the end of 2026, the firm expects to have invested over $5bn in American manufacturing and R&D infrastructure since 2019, and it expects about 17GW of US module manufacturing capacity by 2027.
First Solar licenses Oxford PV’s patents for US markets
