More US patents awarded for "fuel cells" than for any other "clean" technology

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://cepgi.typepad.com/heslin_rothenberg_farley_/

February 12, 2009

CLEAN ENERGY PATENT GROWTH INDEX 4th Quarter 2008

The CLEAN ENERGY PATENT GROWTH INDEX (CEPGI) is published quarterly by the http://www.cleantechintellectualproperty.com/">Cleantech Group at http://www.hrfmlaw.com/">Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti P.C. The CEPGI provides an indication of the trend of innovative activity in the Clean Energy sector from 2002 to the present. It also tracks success rates of earned patents by ranking Patent Owners, along with the Countries and the U.S. States which receive the most clean energy patents. (http://cepgi.typepad.com/files/cepgi-4th-quarter-2008-downloadable-version-2.doc">Click for a downloadable version of this post.)

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.

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The CEPGI for 2008 was at its highest level in the seven year period of its tracking at 928 granted patents. As depicted in the below breakdown of the CEPGI by its sub-components, patents in wind, fuel cells, hydroelectric, tidal and geothermal were up in 2008 over 2007 with hydroelectric and tidal patents being at all time highs.

In contrast, solar patents decreased slightly in 2008 and continued at a relatively steady pace since 2005. Hybrid/electric vehicle and biomass/biofuel energy patents also fell in 2008. Wind patents increased dramatically in the last seven years from a low of 42 to a high in 2008 of 155. Fuel cell patents also continued to dwarf the other components of the CEPGI in absolute numbers in 2008.

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(Some eye-popping graphs available at the link.)