SolarCity Accused of Taking Shingling Technology Secrets

  • SunPower unit, Khosla say trade secrets misappropriated
  • SolarCity says its ex-employee took trade secrets to SunPower
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
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SolarCity Corp., the rooftop solar developer controlled by Elon Musk, was accused of misappropriating trade secrets and other intellectual property in a lawsuit over the development of shingled-cell solar modules.

SolarCity got a head start in developing the modules after SunPower Corp.’s Cogenra Solar unit shared its shingling technology for manufacturing solar panels, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in San Francisco federal court. Cogenra said in the complaint that it shared confidential information with Silevo Inc., which was later acquired by SolarCity.