Energy Resource Patent Research
Patent Trends
in Renewable and Non-Renewable Energy Technologies
Diana Anderson
Chin ho Chung
Nelly Zapata
Team Roles
Diana Anderson
Chin ho Chung
Nelly Zapata
• Data Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Data Analysis
• Database Setup
• Literature Review
• Data Extraction
• Network Mapping
• PowerPoint Setup
• Data Cleaning
• Supporting
Research
• Supporting
Research
• Network Mapping
Diana Anderson
Agenda
Introduction
Project Goals
Literature Review
Research Process
Data Sources
Findings and Analysis
Current Political Trends
Conclusions
Diana Anderson
Introduction
 Why we became
interested in energy
research
 Investment in renewable
energy is rapidly
increasing
 Renewable energy
markets are expanding
worldwide
 It was in response to a
number of global
challenges and concerns
Source: Global Trends In Sustainable Energy Investment, UNEP, 2007
Eric Martinot, 2003-2004, www.martinot.info/markets.htm
Diana Anderson
Introduction
 How we chose the energy types
Renewable Energy
•
•
•
•
•
Solar Energy
Hydroelectricity
Wind Energy
Wave Energy
Bio-energy
Non-Renewable Energy
• Oil Energy
• Coal Energy
• Natural gas
 Main Source of Gathering
Keywords and Energy Type
 “Renewable Energy, Power
for a Sustainable Future”,
Godfrey Boyle,
Oxford University Press,
USA; 1 edition (June 6,
1996)
 covering all the actual
and potential sources
of renewable energy
Diana Anderson
Introduction
Expert Consultant
<Dr. Rocco A. Fazzolari>
• Associate Professor Emeritus
The University of Arizona
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
Research Expertise includes
• Renewable energy systems—design and assessment
• Energy management in industrial and commercial facilities
Diana Anderson
Project Ultimate Goal
“To perform analysis with the goal of educating potential
investors about patent trends within various energy types;
namely renewable and non-renewable energy.”
Diana Anderson
Research Objectives
 Investigate patent filing trends in energy resources from




2000 to 2007
Identify companies filing the most patents in energy
resources
Identify the types of energy resources that have the
greatest number of related patents being filed
Compare patent trends in renewable and non-renewable
energy
Raise public awareness about investing in the renewable
energy and energy efficiency industries
Diana Anderson
Literature Review
“U.S. Energy R&D Declining Investment, Increasing Need, and the Feasibility
of Expansion ”, UC Berkeley Institute of the Environment, Greg Nemet, and
Dan Kamman, Issues in Science & Technology Journal, September 26, 2006
• Shows an alarming decrease in U.S. investments, both government and private, in
energy R&D between 1993 and 2003
“Renewable energy – the future for the developing world”, Refocus, Volume 9
Issues 1-2, January-February 2008, Pages 56, 58-61, Dieter Holm, Jennifer McIntosh
• Some nations and some international corporations are positioning themselves to take
advantage of the inevitable transition to renewable energy
“Global Trends In Sustainable Energy Trends 2007”, United Nations Environment
Program, Christopher Greenwood, Alice Hohler, Michael Libreich, and Eric Usher
• Sectors with highest levels of investment are wind, solar and biofuels, reflecting
technology maturity, policy incentives and investor appetite.
Diana Anderson
Research Process
Secondary
Data
Data
Extraction
Cleaning
Database
Setup
Data
Network
Analysis
Mapping
Research /
Literature
Review
Diana Anderson
Keyword List
Solar Energy
• Solar Energy
• electrochemical
solar energy
• Solar thermal
energy
• Photovoltaic
cell
• Solar Panel
• Passive solar
energy
• Active Solar
energy
• Solar energy
collector
• Solar collector
• Silicon solar cell
• Monocrystalline
silicon solar cell
Hydro Energy
•
•
•
•
•
Hydropower
Hydro power
Hydro energy
hydro energy
Hydroelectricity
• Hydro
electricity
• Hydrogen
fuel cell
Wind Energy
Wave Energy
Bio Energy
Wind power
Wind energy
Wind turbine
Wind mill
Horizontal
axis wind
turbine
• Vertical axis
wind turbine
• Wave power
• Wave Energy
• Wave energy
converter
• Tidal energy
• Geothermal
energy
• Tidal energy
• Barrage
• Bioenergy
• Bio energy
• Biomass
energy
• Biofuels
• Bio-oil
• Bio oil
• Biodiesels
• Bio diesel
• Dry steam
power plant
• Single flash
steam power
plant
• Binary cycle
power plant
• Double flash
power plant
•
•
•
•
•
54 Keywords
Used
Non-Renewable
Energy
• fossil fuel
energy
• coal energy
• petroleum
energy
• natural gas
energy
• crude oil
energy
• shale oil
energy
• shale oil
• oil shale
• oil shale
extraction
• fossil fuel
extraction
• coal extraction
• crude oil
extraction
Chinho Chung
Data Sources
Inventor:
11,920
Assignee:
Patents Cited:
81,708
2,851
Energy
Patents :
7,929
United States
Patent and
Trademark
Office Website
Foreign Patents
Cited:
19,728
Chinho Chung
Analysis Tools
Access
Database
Excel
Netdraw
• 9 Tables
• Charts
• Graphs
• Relationship Maps
Chinho Chung
Findings and Analysis
• Energy Type Analysis
• Country Analysis
• Assignee Analysis
• Inventor Analysis
Chinho Chung
Energy Type Analysis
<Renewable and Non-renewable>
 Energy Category by Year
1200
1000
800
Number of
Patents 600
non-renewable
renewable
400
200
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Chinho Chung
Energy Type Analysis
<Type of Energy Sources>
3500
3000
2500
Number of 2000
Patents 1500
1000
500
0
Chinho Chung
Energy Type Analysis
<Type of Energy Sources>
450
400
350
Bio energy
300
Hydro
250
Number of
Patents 200
non-renewable
Solar
150
Wave
100
Wind
50
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Source: Annual Report on U.S. Wind Power Installation, Cost, and performance trends, 2006,
U.S. Department of Energy, Ryan Wiser&Mark Bolinger
Chinho Chung
Energy Type Analysis
<Type of Energy Sources>
0.6
Supply
0.5
0.4
Geothermal
Quadrillion
Btu
0.3
Solar
0.2
Wind
0.1
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
0.6
Consumption
0.5
0.4
Quadrillion
Btu
Geothermal
0.3
Solar
0.2
Wind
0.1
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
<U.S. Renewable Energy Supply and Consumption Quadrillion Btu, Energy Information
Administration, Official Energy Statistics from U.S. Government, May, 2008>
Chinho Chung
Energy Type Analysis
<Secondary Research>
 Global investment in renewable energy could reach US$750 billion
within the next 10 years

"Renewable energy country attractiveness index", Ernst & Young, Q2 2007
 Climate change worries coupled with high oil prices and increasing
government support top a set of drivers fueling soaring rates of
investment in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries

“Global trends in sustainable energy program”, UN Environment Programme,2007
 There is no direct relationship between patent filings and energy
supply and consumption
Chinho Chung
Country Analysis
<Energy Type by Country>
4000
3500
3000
2500
Number of 2000
Patents
1500
renewable
non-renewable
1000
500
0
US
JP DE GB CA CH IL
SE FR TW
Nelly Zapata
Country Analysis
<Top 3 Countries issuing energy patents>
700
600
Number of 500
Patents
400
DE
JP
300
US
200
100
0
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Nelly Zapata
Country Analysis
<Energy Type Trend in the US>
700
 30% Solar energy
600
Investment Tax Credit
(ITC) due to expire in
Dec. 2008
 As May of 2008, Senate
and the House cannot
agree on a single version
of the bill
500
400
300
200
100
0
renewable
non-renewable
Nelly Zapata
Country Analysis
<Secondary Research>
 The All Renewables Index, which scores investment for all forms of
renewable energy, from solar to wind and biomass, shows that the US
continues to be the global leader

"Renewable energy country attractiveness index", Ernst & Young, Q2 2007
 Japan has numerous solar energy companies, such as Sharp Corp.,
Kyocera Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co., which are leaders in the field.

http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/chinainstitute/nav03.cfm?nav03=50105&nav02=43603&nav
01=43092 Accessed ?? <Accessed date: April 23th, 2008>
 Denmark aims to increase its use of renewable energy to 20 percent
of its overall energy mix by the end of 2011, up from 15 percent today

by Staff Writers Copenhagen (AFP) Feb 22, 2008,
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Denmark_sets_renewable_energy_target_at_20_percent_b
y_2011_999.html <Accessed date: April 23th, 2008>
Nelly Zapata
Assignee Analysis
<Patents per Assignee>
Top 10 Patent Assignees
180
160
140
120
Number 100
of Patents 80
60
40
20
0
Nelly Zapata
Assignee Analysis
<Energy Types of Top 10 Assignees>
Number
of Patents
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Bio energy
Hydro
non-renewable
Solar
Wave
Wind
Nelly Zapata
Assignee Analysis
<Top 3 Assignees>
100%
 Total of 453 patents
90%
 GE has a more evenly
80%
distribution of patents across
70%
Wind
60%
Wave
50%
Solar
non-renewable
40%
Hydro
Bio energy
30%
energy types
 GE has nine research labs
globally dedicated to various
energy technologies
20%
10%
 GE is the leader supplier of
0%
Canon
General
Electric
Shell
wind turbines in the US
Nelly Zapata
Assignee Analysis
<Top 3 in non-renewable>
100%
 Total of 330 patents
90%
 Each company specializes
80%
70%
60%
Wind
Wave
50%
Solar
in a specific technology
 Exxon concentrates in Bio-
Hydro
40%
Bio energy
30%
energy
20%
10%
0%
Chevron
Exxon
Shell
Nelly Zapata
Assignee Analysis
<Secondary Research>

Canon formed the United Solar joint venture in 1990. Canon has achieved
significant advances in photovoltaic field.


“Shell sees wind as an increasingly important part of the energy industry. It is
looking to continue to grow. It wants to look for new opportunities, and wind is
clearly in their sights.”


http://www.ovonic.com/ne_ecd_ovonics_press_releases_more.cfm?pressrelease_id=268
<Accessed date: April 20th, 2008>
Randall Swisher , executive director of the American Wind Energy Association.
The establishment of an infrastructure for hydrogen-powered vehicles is
“economically viable and doable.”
 General Motors Corp. ,the National Hydrogen Association's annual meeting.,2007
Nelly Zapata
Inventor Analysis <Co-inventor Network>
Diana Anderson
Inventor Analysis <Co-inventor Clusters>
Inventor Analysis <Co-inventor Clusters>
Diana Anderson
Inventor Analysis <Co-Inventor Network Analysis>
11,927 unique inventors
25 inventors that authored more than 20 patents each
Top 25 inventors filed 274 patents
•
•
•
•
134 wind patents
103 solar patents
19 non-renewable
18 hydro
Who is Harold Vinegar?
• Shell Chief Scientist Physics
• 134 wind-related patents filed for Shell Oil Company
since 2000, mostly in 2004 and 2006
Diana Anderson
Conclusion
The US leading patent holder in all the energy types
In the last two years, the number of US renewable patents has leveled off
There is no connection between patent filing and energy supply and
consumption
Possible connection between patent filing and political policies
Companies that traditionally supplied non-renewable energy are researching
and filing patents heavily in renewable energy
Diana Anderson