On February 6, TCL Zhonghuan issued an announcement regarding its subsidiary entering into a patent license agreement. MSPL, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Maxeon—the holding subsidiary of TCL Zhonghuan—plans to grant Aiko Solar Co., Ltd. a license to its patents related to BC back-contact solar cells and modules, with the two parties reaching a license agreement with a total value of RMB 1.65 billion in this regard.
Pursuant to the agreement, the licensor MSPL will grant the licensee Aiko Solar Co., Ltd. and its affiliates the right to use the relevant licensed patents in all countries and regions worldwide (excluding the United States) during the 15-year term of the agreement. The scope of the right covers all links in the manufacturing, use, sale, offer for sale, import, export, transfer and other forms of disposal (excluding "contract manufacturing") of BC cells and modules.
In terms of license fees, the two parties agreed on a total amount of RMB 1.65 billion, of which RMB 250 million shall be paid in 2026, and the remaining license fees shall be paid in installments from 2027 to 2030 respectively.
Regarding this patent licensing, TCL Zhonghuan stated that the company attaches great importance to intellectual property rights and focuses on investment in industry-forward-looking technologies and process innovation with intellectual property protection. It has constructed an independent intellectual property protection system in multiple fields including large-size crystal growth and thin-slice cutting of photovoltaic silicon wafers, as well as BC, TOPCon and multi-slicing technologies for solar cells and modules.
At present, Maxeon, a subsidiary of TCL Zhonghuan, holds more than 1,000 authorized patents worldwide in fields such as BC solar cell modules, covering the core technologies and key links in the BC field.
TCL Zhonghuan further pointed out that the rapid growth in demand for high-efficiency BC products has become an industry consensus. This patent licensing transaction with Aiko Solar Co., Ltd. will not only help the company synergize with industrial chain partners to co-build the BC battery technology ecosystem, but also assist the industry in breaking free from involutionary competition with differentiated product technologies and high-quality intellectual property rights, thereby driving the healthy and orderly development of the photovoltaic industry. Meanwhile, this transaction will also support the company in advancing its moderate integration strategy and further strengthen its market position and core competitive advantages in the BC solar cell and module segment.
In addition, on the same day of February 6, TCL Zhonghuan revealed in response to investor inquiries on the interactive platform that the company has developed technological reserves for de-silverization in battery technologies and is continuously promoting the de-precious metal transformation of photovoltaic cells. The details of the relevant business shall be subject to the company's subsequent announcements.
Source：EnergyTrend