First Solar Takes a Licence to CubicPV's Perovskite Patents Ahead of US Commercial Launch
Photo: torstensimon / Pixabay
Perovskite solar cells are moving from the lab towards the factory, and patents are moving with them. On 29 October 2026, US module maker First Solar announced a non-exclusive licence to the issued and pending US patents of CubicPV, a Massachusetts company that has worked on perovskite technology for more than a decade. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The licence lets First Solar keep developing photovoltaic devices that use a perovskite semiconductor, and covers selling and distributing them across the American market, from large solar farms to business rooftops and homes. First Solar, best known for cadmium telluride thin-film modules, already runs a small perovskite development line in Perrysburg, Ohio, and is building a larger pilot line there that should be ready in the first half of 2027.
Chief executive Mark Widmar framed the deal as "freedom to operate", saying a new semiconductor with disruptive potential needs both scale-up work and respect for IP rights. CubicPV's chief executive, Tim McCaffery, said the deal shows how important access to IP has become as perovskite and tandem cells near commercial use. Baker Botts advised CubicPV.
Why it matters. Perovskite patent portfolios are spread across universities, start-ups and Asian manufacturers. Early licences like this one set reference points for how the field will be divided before mass production begins.
Indonesian angle. Indonesia is expanding domestic solar module assembly under local content rules. Manufacturers planning next-generation cells, or buying technology from abroad, should run freedom-to-operate checks in their export markets and ask suppliers for licence warranties, since US rights do not automatically follow a product made elsewhere.
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