A worldwide overview of low-carbon hydrogen patents
Part of a series of short reports looking at the worldwide patenting of green technologies. This report focuses on the low-carbon hydrogen patent landscape.
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In June 2019, the UK became the first major economy to set a legally binding target to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In November 2020 the UK government released a ten point plan for a green industrial revolution. Innovation has a role in helping to achieve carbon net zero and innovation may be reflected in global patenting trends.
This report is part of a series of studies relating to the technologies covered within the UK government’s ten point plan for a green industrial revolution. This report looks at the worldwide patent landscape in relation to low-carbon hydrogen. It looks both at hydrogen power in general, as well as focusing specifically on low-carbon hydrogen power. Hydrogen power is often used for heating, replacing fossil fuels like natural gas with hydrogen and hydrogen blends. Producing low-carbon hydrogen at scale is closely linked to the development of carbon capture and storage technologies.
The purpose of this report is to help show where in the world patenting activity is occurring. It also shows who owns these patents, as well as how patenting activity has varied over time. This report looks both at the worldwide patent landscape, as well as focusing on the patent landscape within the UK.
There has been a large increase in worldwide patenting activity of hydrogen power between 2001 and 2018. This trend is reflected in the UK. Toyota Motors are the most prolific filers worldwide. UK-based Intelligent Energy are also ranked amongst the top patent owners globally. Companies in the automotive industry own a notable share of patents in this field. This suggests that hydrogen-powered vehicles may be an important end-user application of this technology.
Trends seen by general hydrogen power technologies are mirrored in low-carbon hydrogen patenting activity, and this is seen both globally and in the UK. Our research shows that the UK is slightly more specialised in low-carbon hydrogen compared to hydrogen power more generally.