US solar giant First Solar signed a patent licensing agreement with the UK’s Oxford PV, a University of Oxford spin‑off, giving it access to issued and pending patents covering perovskite materials, one of the most important next‑gen solar technologies.
The non‑exclusive deal allows First Solar to continue developing photovoltaic devices that use a perovskite semiconductor. It covers potential manufacturing and distribution in the US and excludes crystalline silicon semiconductors. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
Why this deal matters
First Solar is the largest solar manufacturer in the Western Hemisphere and the world’s biggest producer of thin‑film modules. It has been working on ways to combine its thin‑film expertise with perovskite materials, which many researchers see as the next major leap in solar efficiency.
CEO Mark Widmar said the agreement allows First Solar to keep pursuing “viable pathways” to manufacturing and commercializing thin‑film perovskite products for utility‑scale, commercial, industrial, and residential markets. He said the company believes it’s making progress toward an efficient, stable, and manufacturable perovskite device.
First Solar’s perovskite push
First Solar has spent more than $2 billion on thin‑film research and development, including work on perovskites. At its Perrysburg, Ohio, campus, it operates a development line producing small modules that use a perovskite semiconductor. The company says that line has already helped it meet early internal targets for efficiency, stability, and manufacturability.
Who Oxford PV is
Yarnton, England‑based Oxford PV specializes in perovskite solar tech and says it holds the strongest global patent portfolio in the field. It manufactures perovskite‑on‑silicon tandem cells and modules in Brandenburg, Germany, and plans to scale to high‑volume production as part of its growth strategy.
Oxford PV CEO David Ward said, “Strong intellectual property frameworks are essential to supporting innovation at scale across the solar industry. We welcome First Solar’s ongoing commitment to a perovskite‑based PV future.”
First Solar’s US manufacturing buildout
First Solar has manufactured in the US since 2002. It runs five factories across Alabama, Louisiana, and Ohio and is building a sixth plant in South Carolina scheduled to begin operating in the second half of 2026.
That facility is expected to add 3.7 gigawatts of annual capacity, bringing First Solar’s total nameplate capacity to about 18 GW in 2027. Since 2019, the company says it has invested roughly $4.5 billion in US manufacturing and R&D.
Electrek’s Take
Perovskites have been hyped for more than a decade as the future of solar, but the real hurdles have always been durability and scaling production.
First Solar is already the only major US thin‑film manufacturer and has leaned hard into domestic production. If it can successfully integrate perovskites into its roadmap, it could unlock higher efficiencies without depending on traditional crystalline silicon supply chains.
This agreement signals that First Solar sees perovskites not as a side experiment, but as a core part of its long‑term strategy.
Read more: Oxford sets a new world record for solar panel efficiency
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