Today’s solutions cannot give us a successful transition on their own. That’s why the innovations coming down the pipeline are so important. One way to measure what, and who, is innovating is to look at the number of patents being filed for low carbon energy (LCE), explains Sean Fleming writing for the World Economic Forum. He summarises the latest report from the European Patent Office and the IEA, “Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation”. Europe continues to lead with 28% of total IPFs (international patent families). Next come Japan (25%) and the U.S. (20%). There has been a noticeable increase in patents from South Korea (10%) and China (8%) in the last decade. Which sectors are innovating the most? Since 2017, most of the growth in LCE-related patents has been for batteries, hydrogen, smart grids, and CCUS. Global growth in IPFs for EVs overtook those for other LCE technologies for road transportation in 2011 and continues to widen that gap. Interestingly, IPFs relating to wind, solar, hydro and geothermal have been falling since 2012. Do those sector differences reflect which technologies are maturing and which are going to be vital for tomorrow?
The shift to low-carbon energy (LCE) is a crucial part of addressing the challenges of the climate crisis. Unless emissions are reduced and greener energy is increased, the thresholds for temperature rises outlined in the Paris Climate Agreement could be breached.
That’s according to the European Patent Office (EPO) and the International Energy Agency (IEA), who have issued their second report into the growth of the technologies needed to support the transition to greener types of energy. Called Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation, the report examines the link between patented developments and support for greener energy use. The shift to LCE can only be achieved through an acceleration in energy-sector innovation, the report’s authors state.
The link between patents and the transition
To measure the progress made to date, the EPO and IEA have trawled global patent databases to identify trends in innovation, counting instances when patents have been filed in more than one office, known as international patent families (IPFs). “This patent information provides early indications of technological developments that are bound to transform the economy and can thus reveal how innovation is driving the energy transition,” the report says.
National differences
Between 2010 and 2019, Europe was responsible for 28% of all IPFs, and has consistently been the world leader in LCE-related patents. According to the report, Europe ranks “first in most renewable energy fields”.
Japan and the US follow Europe’s lead with 25% and 20% (respectively) of global IPFs in the same nine-year period. For Japan, batteries and hydrogen are two areas of clear leadership in the LCE sector, both of which stand to benefit from the growth of electric vehicles and alternatives to fossil fuels. The US was singled out for making gains in the aviation industry and other low-carbon combustion developments.
While South Korea (10% of all IPFs) and China (8% of all IPFs) are regarded by the report as “modest innovation centres in LCE technologies”, there have been noticeable increases in related patents in the past decade.
Innovation is driving the energy transition. / Image: IEA report: Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation
Low Carbon Energy (LCE) innovation growth slowed after 2013
There was a slowing down in the growth of IPFs for green energy between 2014 and 2016. But, the EPO/IEA report says, it is on the rise again. Furthermore, the increase in the number of LCE-related patents corresponds with declines in the use of fossil fuel.
Although that is a positive indicator, there is still a lot more that needs to be done. “The current growth rate of IPFs in LCE (3.3% since 2017) remains slower than that before 2013,” according to the report’s key findings.
The growth of green energy is on the rise, but more still needs to be done. / Image: IEA report: Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation
Patents increased in some sectors, fell in others
Since 2017, most of the growth in LCE-related patents has been connected to batteries, hydrogen, smart grids, as well as carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). All of which are important enablers of the energy transition.
Overall, 60% of all LCE patents across the past five years have been connected to fuel-switching and energy efficiency technologies. Perhaps surprisingly, IPFs relating to renewables like wind, solar, hydro or geothermal have been falling since 2012.
Overall, 60% of all LCE patents across the past five years have been connected to fuel-switching and energy efficiency technologies. / Image: IEA report: Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation
Electric vehicles are driving change
When it comes to new energy use and its use by consumers, it is the advent of the electric vehicle that is ushering in the most visible change. Whether it’s batteries, the vehicles themselves, or charging infrastructure, there has been a significant push in IPFs in this field.
“The number of IPFs in electric vehicles overtook other clean energy technologies for road vehicles as of 2011,” the report says.
Electric cars are generating the most visible change when it comes to energy usage. / Image: IEA report: Patents and the energy transition: Global trends in clean energy technology innovation
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Sean Fleming is a Senior Writer at Formative Content, writing for the World Economic Forum
This article is republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License
I found the article to be really interesting. I am happy that it is heavily focused on solutions and not just problems. That’s what we need more of in today’s world!