Smart energy provider asserts more patents against Huawei

SolarEdge has asserted two more patents against Huawei in an extension of its patent infringement complaint in Germany.

The Israel-based smart energy provider initially filed its patent infringement claim against the Chinese electronics company at the Mannheim District Court on June 18.

SolarEdge accused Huawei of infringing a patent covering direct current (DC) optimised inverter technology (EP 2 930 839 B1), which relates to the unidirectional flow of electric charge.

The patent application was filed in 2015 and granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2017.

Wattkraft Solar, a German distributor for Huawei, was also named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

The asserted patent changes the way that power is harvested and managed in photovoltaic inverter technology systems, according to SolarEdge. The invention was created to maximise power generation, while lowering the cost of energy produced by the system.

Huawei allegedly sells on the German market multi-level inverters which use SolarEdge’s proprietary technology. Multi-level inverters are used to achieve high power from a medium voltage source.

The smart energy provider is seeking damages, an injunction, and a recall of all disputed products in Germany.

Today, July 31, SolarEdge announced that its suit in Mannheim has been extended to include two more patents (EP 2 135 348 B1 and EP 2 859 650 B1) related to power optimising technology.

The first additional patent, which was filed in 2008 and granted in 2018, covers a thermal refining process. The second, filed in 2013 and granted in 2017, covers a method of regulating the electric power available from a generator.

Speaking to WIPR, a spokesperson for SolarEdge said the additional patents will help the company to protect its investment in innovative inverter technology.

The extended complaint will assist SolarEdge’s efforts to prevent Huawei from selling any optimisers which infringe SolarEdge’s technology in Germany, the company said.

SolarEdge owns 126 patents, 169 patent applications and other IP covering smart energy technology.

Earlier this year, WIPR reported that Huawei had filed the most patent applications (2,398) at the EPO in 2017.