United States' Clean Energy Patents Soar, Report Indicates

The CEPGI (shown below quarterly) tracks the granting of U.S. patents for the following sub-components: Solar, Wind, Hybrid/Electric Vehicles, Fuel Cells, Hydroelectric, Tidal/Wave, Geothermal, Biomass/Biofuels and Other Clean Renewable Energy. 

Credit: CLEANTECH GROUP at Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C.

Fuel Cells again led the other components of the CEPGI in the second quarter, but Solar technology patents continued to follow on its heels. Fuel Cells patents were up 32 patents from the first quarter at 264 and were up 59 over a year prior. Solar patents (188) continued to dominate the remaining components of the CEPGI at 211, up 23 over the previous quarter and up 89 over the second quarter of 2011. Solar’s closest competitor, Wind (187), was up 30 patents over the second quarter and up 74 patents relative to the same period last year. The surge by Solar patents in the last two quarters comes after Solar and Wind were tied in the fourth quarter of last year. Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents (65) rose 3 patents and were up 18 compared to the second quarter of 2011 Biomass/Biofuel patents (36) were up 13 from the first quarter of this year and almost doubled relative to the second quarter of 2011. Hydroelectric patents (6) were up one compared to the previous quarter while being up two compared to a year prior. 

After a three year gap, Toyota took the quarterly Clean Energy Patent crown for the second consecutive quarter in the second quarter of 2012 with 46 patents – down three from the first quarter. Toyota’s patents were again primarily in Fuel Cells at 32 with an assist from Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents at 14. GE trailed Toyota for the second quarter this year – this time by three patents. Wind patents (39) led for GE followed by Solar (2) and one each in Fuel Cells and Hybrid/Electric Vehicles. GM jumped back to third place from fourth last quarter, and had 23 Fuel Cell patents and 7 Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents. Honda had three less clean energy patents than GM in the second quarter and one more than its own total in the first quarter. Honda scored 20 Fuel Cell patents and 3 in Hybrid/Electric Vehicles. Samsung followed with 21 Fuel Cells and 1 Solar patent. Vestas Wind Systems was next with 20 Wind patents trailing GE for the quarter by 19 in Wind. Mitsubishi and Siemens were also heavy in Wind patents with 11 each. Mitsubhishi’s total of 16 also included 2 Solar patents and one each in Fuel Cells and Hybrid/Electric Vehicles. Siemens added 3 Fuel Cell patents to its Wind total. Sanyo placed ninth for the second quarter with 5 Fuel Cell patents and 7 in Solar. Ford rounded out the top ten with 6 Fuel Cell and 5 Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents. 

As depicted below in the geographic charts, Japan again led non-U.S. holders of U.S. clean energy patents and individual U.S. states with 158, up 8 over the first quarter, and up 44 over the same quarter a year ago, to again claim the quarterly geographical clean energy patent crown. California was in second place for the third consecutive quarter at 95 clean energy patents, up 25 from the first quarter and up 30 compared to a year prior. Germany was again third with 62 clean energy patents, up 11 over the first quarter and 33 over the same quarter last year. New York and Michigan switched places from the first quarter with New York gaining 54 clean energy patents, up 7 over the previous quarter and up two over the same quarter a year before. Michigan had 52 clean energy patents which was up three over the first quarter and 14 relative to the second quarter of 2011. Korea and Denmark followed as in the first quarter with Korea trailing Michigan by four patents at 48 – up 3 and 7, respectively, compared to last quarter and the same time a year before. Denmark had 28 clean energy patents which was down four relative to last quarter while being up two compared to last year. Colorado reached a new quarterly high of 16 while Taiwan fell 13 from the first quarter to 15 and was up four compared to the same period a year ago. France, Spain and Texas rounded out the top ten with 13 clean energy patents and were closely followed by New Jersey (12), Massachusetts (12) and Canada (11). Oregon, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Connecticut all had 10 clean energy patents in the second quarter.