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. Results from the third quarter of 2015 reveal the CEPGI to have a value of 916 granted U.S. patents, which is up 17 over the second quarter and down 124 compared to a year prior, but it is important to note that the comparable quarter (the third quarter of 2014) had the most granted clean energy patents so far. The quarterly Clean Energy Patent crown again belonged to Toyota - the winner of the first and second quarters and annual winner for 2014 - which topped new top contender Hyundai and Ford by five granted clean energy patents. Solar patents led all other technology sectors in the third quarter for the tenth quarter in a row. Runner up Fuel Cells trailed by over 110 patents.
Download CEPGI 3rd Quarter 2015 (H0592543xD16FB)
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.
Solar patents (309) rebounded 25 patents over the second quarter which had dropped 18 relative to the first. The leading technology sector was down 26 versus a year prior. Patents in Fuel Cell (196) technologies fell 28 versus the previous quarter and almost 70 compared to the same quarter a year prior. Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents (194) jumped 30 from the second quarter and the same from a year before. Wind patents (133) trailed those in HEV by more than 60 granted in the second quarter of 2015. Wind patents fell 19 versus the second quarter and 47 compared to the third quarter of 2014.
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Biofuel/Biomass patents added four over the previous period to arrive at 51 granted patents in the third quarter, but were down 11 versus the third quarter of 2014.
Tidal patents (17) edged up one patent over the second quarter and fell 11 versus that period the year before. Hydroelectric patents (3) were down 1 and 6 compared to the previous quarter and the same quarter the year before. Geothermal patents (6) edged up one and fell 3 compared to the second quarter and the year before.
Toyota had 41 granted clean energy patents for the second straight quarter and retained the quarterly Clean Energy Patent crown, this time leading Hyundai and Ford by five while long-time contender for the top spot, GM, fell to fifth place in the third quarter of 2015.
Despite leading all others, Toyota didn't lead in any of the individual categories while having 23 Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents and 18 Fuel Cell patents. Hyundai tied Ford for the most HEV patents at 30. Honda was in the fourth spot with 31 granted clean energy patents in Hybrid/electric Vehicle patents (14), Fuel Cell patents (16), and one Solar patent. GM had more Fuel Cell patents (19) than any other while also receiving seven Hybrid/Electric Vehicle patents. GE (22) had the most diverse patent haul among the leaders scoring patents in Wind (16), Fuel Cells (2), Solar (2), Biofuels/biomass (1) and Other renewable energy technologies (1). LG (21 total) trailed GE but led all others in Solar patents in the third quarter with 15 to supplement its HEV (2) and Fuel Cell (4) gains. Kia (18) had 16 HEV patents to go with two Fuel Cell patents. Siemens, also with 18 total, tied GE's Wind total and had one each in HEV patents and Solar tech patents. Vestas had Wind patent gains (17) above all others edging out GE and Siemens by one to round out the top ten owners of granted clean energy patents in the third quarter of 2015.
Among the top ten clean energy patent holders, Hybrid/electric Vehicle technologies (123) dominated the other technologies in contrast to this title belonging to Fuel Cell patents (73) the previous quarter. This is in contrast to the total result of all clean energy patent holders where there were more Solar patents than any other in the third quarter by a wide margin thus showing the wide dispersion of patent owners in the Solar technology space.
Geographically, Japan led non-U.S. holders of U.S. Clean Energy patents and individual U.S. states, as depicted below in the geographic charts, to take the quarterly geographical Clean Energy patent crown with 186 granted clean energy patents. The Asian patent powerhouse gained 13 patents compared to the second quarter and was down 35 versus the year before. Korea (109) took second place, up 14 over the second quarter and 16 over a year prior, while still trailing Japan by nearly 80 patents. Germany moved up to third place with 80 patents despite dropping two versus the previous quarter and 15 compared to a year prior. California (76) slipped to a tie with Michigan for fourth place and was down 17 versus the previous quarter, and the western state fell 26 patents over a year prior. Michigan, also with 76, gained five since the previous quarter and 14 compared to the third quarter of 2014.
New York (40) gained seven over the second quarter and was also up seven compared to a year prior. Taiwan gained some places with 26 patents, up 10 over the previous quarter yet down nine from the same quarter in 2014. China followed with 23 patents, up five from the second quarter and up seven from the third quarter of a year prior.
Denmark and Texas took the final spots of the top ten, with 22 and 19, respectively. Denmark dumped 18 patents in the third quarter leaving it 13 below the same quarter a year prior. Texas gained three patents over the second quarter and lost six compared to the third quarter of 2014. Other top finishers included France (18), Colorado (14), New Mexico (12), Spain (11) and New Jersey (11).
Of the Clean Energy patents granted in the third quarter, 371 were owned by US entities (down six) while 545 were owned by those outside the US (up 23). The US gave back some ground that it had gained the quarter before.
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Trend lines by quarter through the third quarter for 2015 for the CEPGI and for each of the CEPGI components are depicted below:
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CEPGI yearly totals through 2014 are depicted below:
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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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