Where does SolarCity Corporation rank among US patent assignees?

According to USPTO PatentsView (2015–2025 granted utility patents), SolarCity Corporation ranks #1,858 of 49,997 assignees by granted-patent volume, the same sort as the companies listing and top-holders ranking. See /methodology/#corpus-placement.

How many patents does SolarCity Corporation hold?

SolarCity Corporation holds 217 US utility patents granted between 2015 and 2021, spanning 70 technology areas.

What is SolarCity Corporation's Innovation Score?

SolarCity Corporation has an Innovation Score of 52.6 out of 100 (top 10% of the corpus). This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), grant velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).

Is SolarCity Corporation's patent grant rate increasing or decreasing?

SolarCity Corporation's recent grant velocity is -92% compared to the prior five-year period (grant years, not application filing dates). Grant activity has slowed relative to earlier years.

What does claim depth mean for SolarCity Corporation's patents?

SolarCity Corporation's patents average 15.0 claims each. This is an aggregate descriptive count from the grant record; it does not establish claim scope, legal strength, enforceability, or design-around risk.

How is the SolarCity Corporation 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.

USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView US Corporation

SolarCity Corporation

Q: What technology areas does SolarCity Corporation focus on?

SolarCity Corporation's top technology area is Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution) with 170 patents, ranking #81 of 5,963 assignees active in that subclass. Grants appear in 70 CPC subclasses total.

USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 217 granted patents across 70 technology areas, recorded in grant years 2015–2021. Grant-trend analysis is cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search; it does not measure application filings, current R&D, or legal strength. Primary class: Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution).

Compiled by PlainPatent · May 15, 2026

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The verdict

According to USPTO PatentsView, Solarcity ranks #1,858 of 49,997 tracked US assignees by granted-patent volume, with 217 patents across 70 technology areas.

#1,858
of 49,997 US assignees by volume: Top 10%
by Innovation Score (52.6/100): 15.0
avg claims per patent: -92%
grant velocity, last 5 yrs

USPTO PatentsView assignee plate

Corpus R1858 · US Corporation #1,858 · 217 grants

GRANTS-MID · TOP-DECILE · PHOTO-FINISH · CPC-WIDE · INNOV-PAR · CLAIMS-RICH · TYPE-USCORP · VEL-DROP · BOOK-FULL

GRANTS-MID 217 grants
TOP-DECILE #1,858/49,997
PHOTO-FINISH Huf Hülsbeck &…
CPC-WIDE Y02E · 70 areas
INNOV-PAR 52.6/100
CLAIMS-RICH 15.0 claims/avg
TYPE-USCORP US Corporation
VEL-DROP -92% vel
BOOK-FULL 10/10 fields

Nearest grant-volume peer: Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG (±0 grants)

Instrument codes from this assignee’s USPTO PatentsView grant sheet: volume band, corpus rank, photo-finish peer, lead CPC, Innovation Score, claim depth, assignee type, velocity, and book completeness. Not a USPTO rating of patent strength.

How Solarcity’s 52.6 Innovation Score adds up

The same four weighted components behind every Innovation Score on PlainPatent: portfolio volume, grant velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth.

Volume 18.6 pts (35%) Velocity 0.0 pts (0%) Breadth 25.0 pts (48%) Claim depth 9.0 pts (17%)

Qualcomm Incorporated · highest

85
Accuray Incorporated · near

53
Biedermann & KG · near

53
Ecosense Lighting · near

53
Mitsubishi Hitachi… · near

53
SolarCity · this assignee

53
3D Lighting… · lowest

7

What this shows Solarcity's Innovation Score is 52.6/100 (top 10% of the PatentsView-derived corpus). The chart places that score against the nearest Innovation Score peers plus corpus poles, not a reprint of the volume ranking.

Does more volume mean deeper claims for Solarcity?

Each dot is one of Solarcity’s 8 nearest volume peers (same corpus rank neighbourhood as the chart above), placed by total granted patents (horizontal) against average claims per patent (vertical). Solarcity’s own 15.0 claims/patent is at or below the 16.3 median for these volume peers. Volume here does not track with deeper claims; several lower-volume peers claim more thoroughly per patent.

Solarcity vs its 8 nearest volume peers: granted patents vs average claims per patent. Source: USPTO PatentsView.

How Solarcity's grant cadence moved

Between 2020–2024, SolarCity Corporation received 16 grants versus 201 in 2015–2019 (-92% equal-window velocity, below median growth). Across complete PatentsView years, output peaked in 2018 at 54 grants and bottomed in 2021 at 3. Lead class Y02E accounts for 78.3% of the portfolio across 70 subclasses. Volume neighbours: Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG (#1,854) and EGALAX_EMPIA Technology Inc. (#1,862).

Huf Hülsbeck & Fü…

217
Jabil

217
Microvention

217
Newracom

217
Xi'an Jiaotong Un…

217
Zhejiang Dahua Te…

217
Solarcity ◀

217
AT&S Austria & Sy…

216
Egalax_empia Tech…

216

What this shows SolarCity holds 217 patents at rank #1,858, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.

Companies ranked near SolarCity

By rank, the assignees closest to #1,858 in granted patent volume.

Leaders in Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions)

Other assignees with the most granted patents in SolarCity's primary technology class.

Assignees with similar portfolio profiles

Two PlainPatent-derived peer sets for SolarCity, neither rank-band nor same-CPC leaders (those blocks stay above). In Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions), SolarCity ranks #81 of 5,963 assignees by patent count in that subclass.

Similar innovation score

Nearest assignees by Innovation Score (53 here).

Biedermann Technologies GMBH & Co. KG 53 Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Ltd. 53 Accuray Incorporated 53 Ecosense Lighting Inc. 53

Similar claim depth

Nearest assignees by average claims per patent (15.0 here).

Universite Claude Bernad Lyon 1 15.0 avg Asahi Kasei Microdevices Corporation 15.0 avg Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG 15.0 avg Atotech Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG 15.0 avg

Solarcity's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee

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

53 Top 10% higher than 90% of 49,997 US assignees

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 · 2015–2021

Grants by year

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

View data table

SolarCity Corporation patent grants by year, 2015–2025
Year	Patents Granted	Share of Period
2015	13	6.0%
2016	51	23.5%
2017	48	22.1%
2018	54	24.9%
2019	35	16.1%
2020	13	6.0%
2021	3	1.4%

Which technologies does SolarCity Corporation patent most?

Y02E - Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution 170

H02S - Generation OF Electric Power BY Conversion OF Infrared Radiation, Visible Light OR Ultraviolet Light, e.g. Using Photovoltaic [PV] Modules 97

Y02B - Climate Change Mitigation Technologies Related TO Buildings, e.g. Housing, House Appliances OR Related End-user Applications 93

F24S - Solar Heat COLLECTORS; Solar Heat Systems 81

H10F - Inorganic Semiconductor Devices Sensitive TO Infrared Radiation, Light, Electromagnetic Radiation OF Shorter Wavelength OR Corpuscular Radiation 63

H02J - Circuit Arrangements OR Systems FOR Supplying OR Distributing Electric POWER; Systems FOR Storing Electric Energy 53

H02M - Apparatus FOR Conversion Between AC AND AC, Between AC AND DC, OR Between DC AND DC, AND FOR USE With Mains OR Similar Power Supply SYSTEMS; Conversion OF DC OR AC Input Power Into Surge Output POWER; Control OR Regulation Thereof 30

Y10T - Technical Subjects Covered BY Former US Classification 29

Y04S - Systems Integrating Technologies Related TO Power Network Operation, Communication OR Information Technologies FOR Improving THE Electrical Power Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Management OR Usage, i.e. Smart Grids 28

E04D - Roof COVERINGS; SKY-LIGHTS; GUTTERS; Roof-working Tools 17

F16B - Devices FOR Fastening OR Securing Constructional Elements OR Machine Parts Together, e.g. Nails, Bolts, Circlips, Clamps, Clips OR WEDGES; Joints OR Jointing 17

G05B - Control OR Regulating Systems IN GENERAL; Functional Elements OF Such SYSTEMS; Monitoring OR Testing Arrangements FOR Such Systems OR Elements 15

H01L - Semiconductor Devices NOT Covered BY Class H10 13

F16M - Frames, Casings OR Beds OF Engines, Machines OR Apparatus, NOT Specific TO Engines, Machines OR Apparatus Provided FOR ELSEWHERE; STANDS; Supports 13

Y02P - Climate Change Mitigation Technologies IN THE Production OR Processing OF Goods 12

Top 15 of 70 technology areas

More on this record

Data Source

USPTO PatentsView, US granted patents 2015–2025

View all rankings → How is Innovation Score calculated?

What to do with this data

SolarCity Corporation's patent record in context - here's where to go next.

SolarCity Corporation's lead technology class is Y02E (Reduction OF Greenhouse GAS [GHG] Emissions, Related TO Energy Generation, Transmission OR Distribution), 78.3% of its portfolio - see every assignee active in that class. Explore Y02E
Ranked #1,858 of 49,997 tracked assignees by patent volume - see the full leaderboard. See the ranking
Compare SolarCity Corporation against Huf Hülsbeck & Fürst GmbH & Co. KG, an assignee filing at a similar volume. Compare portfolios
Innovation Score of 52.6/100 blends volume, velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth. How it's calculated

Figures reflect USPTO PatentsView grant data through May 2026; pending applications not yet granted are not counted.

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

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.

Data sources used on this page

USPTO PatentsView - the disambiguated bulk patent-grant, assignee, and CPC data this page's figures are derived from. patentsview.org
Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) - the joint USPTO/EPO classification scheme used to group patents by technology area. cooperativepatentclassification.org
USPTO Patent Public Search - the official interface to verify the status of any individual patent. ppubs.uspto.gov

Compiled by PlainPatent , US Patent Intelligence Editorial Process · May 15, 2026

Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.