Innovation Asset Blog

Clean Energy Patents Continue Upward Trend

In a recent post by attorney Eric Lane on the business blog CleanTechies, results of the latest Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI) are highlighted. The CEPGI, put out quarterly by the Cleantech Group at the law firm of Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C., has been tracking innovation activity in the clean tech industry since 2002, as measured by granted U.S. patents in the field.

The index tracks patent activity across multiple sectors including solar, wind, hybrid/electric vehicles, fuel cells, hydroelectric, tidal/wave, geothermal, biomass/biofuels and “other.” It also breaks down results by geography at the country and U.S. state levels as well as by entity grantees.

The Q2 2012 results show that fuel cell technology led the pack with 264 U.S. patents granted during the quarter. Solar was close behind with 211 patents granted, followed by wind technology with 187 patents granted. Overall, most sectors showed increases over the previous quarter and over the same period last year. Japan led all non-U.S. grantees of these U.S. patents as well as individual U.S. states, with a total of 158 patents granted. Toyota was the single largest grantee of clean tech patents - mostly in fuel cells (32) and hybrid/electric vehicle technology (14).

Rapid innovation is a key to growth in the important field of clean technology.

Peter Ackerman

Peter Ackerman

Founder & CEO, Innovation Asset Group, Inc.