PlainPatent
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

First Solar, Inc.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record — 178 granted patents across 52 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION).

Explore the portfolio See the ranking
178
Total patents granted
52
CPC technology areas
18.2
Avg claims per patent
-56%
5-year filing velocity

The verdict

First holds 178 US patents across 52 technology areas — rank #2,207 of 50,000 tracked assignees.

#2,207
of 50,000 US assignees by volume
Top 2%
by Innovation Score (63.0/100)
18.2
avg claims per patent
-56%
filing velocity, last 5 yrs

Portfolio overview

First Solar, Inc. has been granted 178 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing First Solar, Inc. at rank #2,207 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 52 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 18.2 claims per patent with primary concentration in Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION). As a US Corporation, First Solar, Inc. is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. The composite Innovation Score of 63.0/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.

Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 54 grants, compared with 124 in the 2015–2019 window — a -56% shift in five-year velocity. A cooling filing rate may reflect portfolio consolidation, shifting priorities, or reduced R&D throughput. The US Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.

Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. First Solar, Inc.'s 18.2 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a multi-domain presence across 52 subclasses balances depth with breadth. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark First Solar, Inc. against peers pursuing similar technology classes.

How does First compare?

Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus the largest corporate holders — this company marked ◀

patents

What this shows First holds 178 patents — placing it at rank #2,207 overall, well behind the volume leaders but ahead of the tens of thousands of smaller assignees in the dataset.

Source USPTO PatentsView — granted utility patents As of 2015–2025

First's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)

63 Top 2% higher than 98% of 50,000 US assignees

0–10: 687 US assignees (1%). Below this entry. 10–20: 2,527 US assignees (5%). Below this entry. 20–30: 13,162 US assignees (26%). Below this entry. 30–40: 15,294 US assignees (31%). Below this entry. 40–50: 11,491 US assignees (23%). Below this entry. 50–60: 5,058 US assignees (10%). Below this entry. 60–70: 1,537 US assignees (3%). This entry sits in this band. 70–80: 234 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 80–90: 10 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. 90–100: 0 US assignees (0%). Above this entry. This assignee 0 100 every tracked assignee, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source USPTO PatentsView — PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025

USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

0102030405060 20152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 10
USPTO utility patent grants by year · 2015–2025

Grants by year

Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.

View data table
First Solar, Inc. patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year Patents Granted Share of Period
2015 44 24.7%
2016 48 27.0%
2017 15 8.4%
2018 11 6.2%
2019 6 3.4%
2020 9 5.1%
2021 6 3.4%
2022 9 5.1%
2023 8 4.5%
2024 12 6.7%
2025 10 5.6%

Which technologies does First Solar, Inc. patent most?

Top 15 of 52 technology areas

Patent Moat Analysis

Portfolio Volume Moderate
Tech Breadth Multi-domain
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Declining

Where it ranks

Overall rank by patents

#2,207

Across all tracked assignees

Innovation Score

63.0 out of 100

View all rankings →

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView — US granted patents 2015–2025

How is Innovation Score calculated?

Frequently Asked Questions

How many patents does First Solar, Inc. hold?
First Solar, Inc. holds 178 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 52 technology areas.
What is First Solar, Inc.'s Innovation Score?
First Solar, Inc. has an Innovation Score of 63.0 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does First Solar, Inc. focus on?
First Solar, Inc.'s top technology area is Y02E (REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION) with 138 patents. The company has filed patents in 52 CPC subclasses total.
Is First Solar, Inc.'s patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
First Solar, Inc.'s recent filing velocity is -56% compared to the prior five-year period. Filing activity has slowed relative to earlier years.
What does claim depth mean for First Solar, Inc.'s patents?
First Solar, Inc.'s patents average 18.2 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the First Solar, Inc. patent data sourced?
All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.

Learn More

How Innovation Score Works

Understand the four dimensions behind the composite score
How to Read Patent Data

Plain-English guide to CPC codes, claims, and metrics
Patent Moat Analysis

How companies use patents as competitive barriers

Explore the patent dataset

Y02E technology

First Solar, Inc.'s primary CPC class — all holders and yearly trends
Top 50 patent holders

See where First Solar, Inc. ranks among the largest US patent assignees
All technology classes

Browse every CPC technology area by patent activity
How the score works

The four dimensions behind the Innovation Score

Related

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Data sourced from USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. government patent data. See our methodology for computation details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPatent Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the USPTO PatentsView database. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • USPTO PatentsView — official U.S. Patent and Trademark Office bulk patent data. patentsview.org
  • USPTO Patent Application Information Retrieval (PAIR) — application status and file history. uspto.gov/patents/pair
  • USPTO Bulk Data Storage System — comprehensive patent text + claims dataset. bulkdata.uspto.gov
  • USPTO CPC Classification — Cooperative Patent Classification scheme for technology categorization. uspto.gov/cpc
  • SEC EDGAR — public filings cross-reference for assignee corporate entity matching. sec.gov/edgar
  • WIPO PATENTSCOPE — international patent context (related international filings). wipo.int/patentscope