The CLEAN ENERGY PATENT GROWTH INDEX (CEPGI), published quarterly by the
Cleantech Group at Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C.
provides an indication of the trend of innovative activity in the Clean Energy sector from 2002 to the present. Results from the second quarter of 2010 reveal the CEPGI to have a value of 437 granted U.S. patents which is the highest quarterly value since the tracking of the CEPGI began, along with being up 58 (over 15 percent) from the first quarter and up almost 60 percent from a value of 274 in the second quarter of 2009.
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The granting of patents by the United States Patent and Trademark (PTO) is often cited as a measure of the inventive activity and evidence of the effectiveness of research & development investments. Patents are considered to be such an indicator, because to be awarded a patent, it requires not only the efforts of inventors to develop new and non-obvious innovations but also successful handling by patent counsel to shepherd a patent application through the PTO. Thus, the granting of a patent is an indicator that efforts at innovation have been successful and that an innovation had enough perceived value to justify the time and expense in procuring the patent.
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.
The components breakdown of the CEPGI shows fuel cells, solar and wind at record levels while hybrid/electric vehicle patents fell. Fuel cells were up 40 granted patents relative to the fourth quarter at 248 and continue to dominate the other components of the CEPGI in absolute numbers. Granted solar patents (76) continued to climb topping wind (33) for the third straight quarter defying a long history of losses to wind prior. Solar patents were up 9 compared to the first quarter of 2010 and up 40 relative the second quarter of 2009. Wind patents were up 20 relative to the first quarter and up 12 compared to a year prior. Hybrid/electric vehicle patents (33) were down 17 from the first quarter to return to fourth quarter 2009 levels and were up 13 over the second quarter of 2009. Biofuel patents (12) were down 1 from the first quarter and down 1 over a year prior.
Honda took the quarterly Clean Energy Patent crown and was pursued by the same three contenders from the first quarter. Honda led the others for the second consecutive quarter primarily based on its fuel cell (28) patents along with three solar and two hybrid/electric vehicle patents. GM fell further behind Honda this quarter at 24 granted clean energy patents dominated by fuel cells at 22, supplemented by two hybrid/electric vehicle patents. Samsung came in third for the second straight time based on fuel cell patents (22) and one solar energy patent. Toyota followed at 17 patents (12 fuel cell, 5 hybrid/electric vehicle) while Ford fell from fifth in the last quarter to a tie for 11th place. GE replaced Ford in the 5th spot based on its strength in wind patents (10) along with 2 fuel cell and 1 solar patent. Panasonic was next with twelve fuel cell patents while Nissan and Hitachi tied for seventh place with 8 clean energy patents, both having fuel cell patents (Nissan 5, Hitachi 6), Nissan with three hybrid/electric vehicle patents and Hitachi two wind patents. Dupont joined the top ten for the first time with two fuel cell patents and four solar patents. Bloom Energy joined the leaders in 11th place with 5 fuel cell patents which added to a big 2009 in which 8 such patents accrued to this high fuel cell company which seemed to appear out of nowhere last year. Electric automaker Telsa, another Cleantech pioneer, tied Bloom with 5 hybrid/electric vehicle patents, adding to its 4 patents of this type in 2009, while Mitsubishi had 5 wind and Ford had 1 fuel cell and 4 hybrid/electric vehicle patents.
As depicted below in the geographic charts, Japan again led the non-U.S. holders of U.S. clean energy patents and the individual U.S. states with 121, up 25 over the first quarter, and up 46 over the same period in 2009, to again claim the geographical clean energy patent crown. California was second with 50 granted Clean Energy patents, up 12 over the first quarter and up 11 over the second quarter of 2009. Korea jumped to third place with 37 granted clean energy patents, up 6 over the first quarter and up 22 over a year prior. Michigan had 35 granted patents, down 12 over the first quarter, and up 12 over the same period a year ago. Germany was again in fifth place and again had 29 patents as in the first quarter, and was up 6 patents over a year ago. New York had 22 patents, which is up 11 over the first quarter and up 7 over the same period of 2009. Connecticut had 6 granted clean energy patents, up 1 from the first quarter, and even with the second quarter of 2009. Canada also had 6 patents, up 1 from the first quarter results, and down 1 over the second quarter of last year. Other notables for the second quarter include Massachusetts with 8 patents and Illinois and Delaware with 7. The United States as a whole had 188 granted clean energy patents in the second quarter, up 8 from last quarter and up 70 from the second quarter of last year.
Trend lines by quarter through the second quarter of 2010 for the CEPGI and for each of the CEPGI components are depicted below:
CEPGI yearly totals through 2009 are depicted below:
The
CEPGI is updated quarterly and is occasionally supplemented with related
articles posted on www.cleanenergypatentgrowthindex.com
or http://www.cepgi.com/
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like us to email you when we
have updated this page or the CEPGI.
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