A worldwide overview of offshore wind power patents
Part of a series of short reports looking at the worldwide patenting of green technologies. This report focuses on the wind power 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 wind power. It looks both at wind power in general, as well as focusing specifically on offshore wind power.
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.
Wind power has seen an increase in worldwide patenting activity between 2001 and 2018. The most prolific patent filers worldwide are the State Grid Corporation (China), General Electric (US) and Vestas (Denmark).
Our research shows that the UK is more specialised in wind power compared to other European nations. Vestas and Siemens Energy are the most prolific owners of patent families active in the UK. There is also a steady number of annual patent filings invented in the UK in recent years.
The observed trends are similar for offshore wind power with an increase in worldwide patenting trends. On a global stage, Vestas and Siemens Energy dominate, followed by General Electric. In the UK, Siemens Energy, Vestas and Mitsubishi Heavy dominate the landscape. The UK also appears to be more highly specialised in offshore wind power patents compared to wind power patents in general. Of the top ten patenting countries, our research shows that the UK is the most specialised country for offshore wind power patenting. This is consistent with reports that the UK is the global leader in offshore wind, with more capacity installed than any other country.