The Intellectual Property direction to reduce the energy dependency on fossil fuels is briefly examined. Renewable energy sources examined are Solar, Wind, Hydropower, Geothermal and Biofuel.

1. Renewable
Energy

2. Agenda
• Renewable Energy Resources
• Statistics
• Patent Practice
• Summary
1/1/2024

3. Disclaimer
• The content contained in this presentation is based on data obtained
from the PatBase™ system1 and is based on the author’s interpretation
of the data. PatBase™ was used for data and graphs. The presentation
is not peer reviewed.
• Use of this information is up to the reader’s discretion and the author
shall not be held liable for the contents.
1/1/2024

4. Introduction
The IP direction to reduce the energy
dependency on fossil fuels is briefly examined.
Renewable energy sources examined are:
 Solar
 Wind
 Hydropower
 Geothermal
 Biofuel
1/1/2024

5. Renewable Energy
• Solar is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy.
• Wind energy captures kinetic energy from the movement of air either via land
(onshore) or sea (offshore).
• Hydropower harness energy from the movement of water or tides.
• Geothermal uses the thermal energy from the Earth’s center.
• Biofuel is energy produced from biomass (i.e. wood, liquids).
1/1/2024

6. Financial
“Climate action is not a budget buster or economy-wrecker. Shifting to a green economy could
yield a direct economic gain of $26 trillion through 2030 compared with business-as-usual. This
could produce over 65 million new low-carbon jobs.” …https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/key-findings
(New Climate Economy, Resources Institute, August 2018 report)
"The Energy Institute Statistical Review is essential reading for policymakers around the world
trying to balance the energy trilemma," said Simon Virley, Head of Energy and Natural
Resources at KPMG in the UK. "All aspects of the trilemma were put under severe strain in
2022. Despite record growth in renewables, the share of world energy still coming from fossil
fuels remains stubbornly stuck at 82%, which should act as a clarion call for governments to
inject more urgency into the energy transition.“ ….https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-
insights/latest-news/oil/062623-fossil-fuels-stubbornly-dominating-global-energy-despite-surge-in-renewables-energy-institute
(S&B Global Commodity Insights, “Fossil fuels 'stubbornly' dominating global energy despite surge in renewables: Energy
Institute” COAL | ELECTRIC POWER | ENERGY TRANSITION | NATURAL GAS | OIL 26 Jun 2023)
1/1/2024

7. U.S. Electricity Generation
1/1/2024
U.S. Energy Information Administration (https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=53779)

8. Renewable Surge in 2023
1/1/2024

9. World Consumption
1/1/2024
• 2023, Statistical Review of World
Energy, The Energy Institute Statistical
Review, https://www.energyinst.org/statistical-
review/resources-and-data-downloads)

10. The way to get
started is to quit talking
and begin doing.
Walt Disney
1/1/2024

11. Content
Patent Technology Timeframe
• Limit evaluation from publication date 2018 to
November/December 2023.
• PatBase® system is used in analysis.
PatBase® records are represented by a patent
family.
• Simple keyword strategies or keyword and
classification code combinations were used to
obtain the data for this project. The data was
not derived from a comprehensive search.
• The charts and graphs in the analysis are
meant as a general overall view of trends in the
various renewable energy resources.
1/1/2024
PatBase® Family
A PatBase® family contains all publications
that share one or more common priority
number(s). This includes continuations-in-part.
If PatBase® families become very large (100+
members), where possible, these are broken
down into sub-groups of simple families. A
simple family is one where all priority numbers
are shared.

12. Renewable Energy
“I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy.
What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to
wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
Thomas Edison
1/1/2024

13. Solar Energy
1/1/2024
• A general patent search was conducted for solar energy with a publication date
>= 2018 through late 2023.
• Focus on the International Classification Code
F24S SOLAR HEAT COLLECTORS; SOLAR HEAT SYSTEMS
• The search retrieved over 10,000 patent families.

14. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
Timeline (>10,000 patent families)

15. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
Jurisdictions (>10,000 patent families)
• China dominates

16. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
Probable Assignees (>10,000 patent families)

17. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
IPC Group Classifications
• Many H02S group codes (photovoltaic modules) are used with the
F24S (Solar heat collectors; solar heat systems) subclass code

18. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
Keyword Tree Clustering
- Up to 2,500 documents (families) of over 10,000 families have been selected (contain
appropriate data), and are contained in these clusters.
- The clustering feature groups and creates 'clusters', but not every family will fit into a
cluster. The algorithm also doesn't create clusters that contain only one family.

19. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems
1/1/2024
IPC Subgroup by Year
• H02S20/30 Supporting structures for Photovoltaic (PV) modules; Supporting
structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment
• Large number of family members in 2021

20. Solar Energy
• IPC code definitions:
o F24S Solar heat collectors; solar heat systems
o F24S10/70 Solar heat collectors using working fluids, the working fluids being conveyed through tubular
absorbing conduits
o F24S20/40 Solar heat collectors specially adapted for particular uses or environments; Solar heat collectors
combined with other heat sources, e.g. using electrical heating or heat from ambient air
o F24S30/425 Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules [2018.01]; Horizontal axis
[2018.01]
o H02S20/30 Supporting structures for PV modules; Supporting structures being movable or adjustable, e.g. for
angle adjustment
1/1/2024

21. Solar Energy, Solar Heat Systems
The over 10,000 records are reduced to around 992 patent families.
1/1/2024
Focus on patents
containing IPC
codes for
structures for PV
modules
(H02S20/30)
Solar heat collector
codes, (F24S20/40 or
F24S30/425 or
F24S10/70)
~992

22. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems; PV
structures
1/1/2024
Jurisdictions (~ 992 families)

23. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems; PV
structures
1/1/2024
Assignees (~ 992 families)

24. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems; PV
structures
1/1/2024
IPC code subgroup correlation (~ 992 families)
• F24S30/425 Arrangements for moving or orienting solar heat collector modules
[2018.01]; Horizontal axis [2018.01]
• H02S20/30 Supporting structures for PV modules; Supporting structures being
movable or adjustable, e.g. for angle adjustment

25. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems; PV
structures
1/1/2024
Keyword Tree Clustering (992 patent families)

26. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems; PV
structures
1/1/2024
3D Topographical Landscape (992 patent families)
All 992 families have been used to generate this landscape.
Peaks:
-cell module
-photovoltaic
module

27. Solar Energy: Solar Heat Collectors; Solar Heat Systems;
PV structures
Of the 992 families, only one patent family
has a Technical Valuation of 89%.
• Technical
o Breadth of industries (# of IPC/CPCs)
o Breadth of citing IPC/CPCs
o Radicalness (#IPCs in backward
citations which are different from IPCs
of patent itself)
o Number of Related divisional,
continuations, CIP, priority US granted
patents
Probable Patent Assignee: NEXTRACKER
LLC
1/1/2024

28. Solar Energy: Normalize Data
• An approach to normalize the data is removing
patent families that only contain a China jurisdiction.
• Rerun the search.
• Analyze the results.
1/1/2024

29. Solar
Energy
Solar Heat
Collectors;
Solar Heat
Systems: PV
structures
1/1/2024
Jurisdictions
• Within the 992 patent families, remove records whereby the
family member only contains CN jurisdiction
• 43 patent family records to analyze

30. Wind
"As yet, the wind is an untamed, and
unharnessed force; and quite possibly one
of the greatest discoveries hereafter to be
made, will be the taming, and harnessing
of the wind.“ Abe Lincoln

31. Wind Energy
• A general patent search was conducted for wind power/energy with a publication date >= 2018
through late 2023.
o Greater than 100,000 patent families retrieved.
• Quickly focus results based on graphed IPC results:
o F03D WIND MOTORS
And either:
o G06Q Computing: information and communication
technology [ict] specially adapted for
administrative, commercial, financial, managerial
or supervisory purposes;
o H02 generation, conversion, or distribution of electric
power
o Result set 5607 patent families.
1/1/2024

32. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
Top 10 Jurisdictions (5,607 patent families)
Wind Motors
AND
Computing:
Information &
Communication
Conversion, Or
Distribution

33. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
Top 10 Probably Patent Assignee (5,607 patent families)
Wind Motors
AND
Computing:
Information &
Communication
Conversion, Or
Distribution

34. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
Timeline (5,607 patent families)
Wind Motors
AND
Computing:
Information &
Communication
Conversion, Or
Distribution

35. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
IPC subgroup correlation (5,607 patent families)
Wind Motors
AND
Computing:
Information &
Communication
Conversion, Or
Distribution

36. Wind Energy
Focus results with IPC subgroups.
1,329 patent families
1/1/2024
F03D009/25; Adaptations of
wind motors for special use;
the apparatus producing heat;
the apparatus being an
electrical generator
H02S10/12 PV power plants;
Combinations of PV energy systems
with other systems for the generation
of electric a supplementary source
power: includinge of electric power,
e.g. hybrid diesel-PV energy systems
(combinations with gas-turbine plants;
Hybrid wind-PV energy systems
~1329
F03D009/11; Adaptations of
wind motors for special use;
Combinations of wind motors
with apparatus storing energy;
storing electrical energy

37. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
Keyword clustering (1,329 patent families)
Wind Motors
AND
Conversion, Or
Distribution; Hybrid
wind-PV energy
systems

38. Wind
Energy
1/1/2024
3D Topographical Landscape (1,329 patent families)
Peaks:
-Wind Energy
-Cell Module
-Power Generation
Wind Motors
AND
Conversion, Or
Distribution; Hybrid
wind-PV energy
systems

39. Wind Energy: Wind motors or hybrid PV-Wind Energy Systems
Of the 1,329 families, only one patent family
has a Technical Valuation of 67%.
• Technical
• Breadth of industries (# of IPC/CPCs)
• Breadth of citing IPC/CPCs
• Radicalness (#IPCs in backward
citations which are different from IPCs
of patent itself)
• Number of Related divisional,
continuations, CIP, priority US granted
patents
Probable Patent Assignee: MOIXA ENERGY
HOLDINGS LTD
1/1/2024

40. Wind Energy: Normalize Data
• An approach to normalize the data is removing
patent families that only contain a China jurisdiction.
• Rerun the search.
• Analyze the results.
1/1/2024

41. 1/1/2024
Jurisdictions
• Remove CN as only family member from 1,329 set:
• 162 patent family records to analyze
Wind
Energy
Wind Motors
AND
Conversion, Or
Distribution; Hybrid
wind-PV energy
systems

42. 1/1/2024

43. Hydropower
1/1/2024
• Hydropower currently accounts for 28.7% of total U.S. renewable electricity
generation and about 6.2% of total U.S. electricity generation. In fact, all but
two states (Delaware and Mississippi) use hydropower for electricity, some
more than others. (ENERGY EFFICIENCY & RENEWABLE ENERGY, an
office of the U.S. Department of Energy)1
• In 2020 about 66% of the state of Washington’s electricity came from
hydropower.

44. Hydropower
1/1/2024
• A general patent search was conducted for hydropower energy with a
publication date >= 2018 through late 2023 and choose certain IPC
classification codes to narrow the ~30,000 patent family result set.
• Similar to solar power and wind energy the greatest number of patents per
jurisdiction was China. However, Russia had the next largest level of patents
in this hydropower technology space.

45. Hydropower
1/1/2024
• The greater than ~30,000 patent family result set from initial search was
narrowed to Hydraulic engineering for water power plants as well as wave or
tidal energy.
• The narrowing of results was accomplished using IPC classifications
• E02B9 = Hydraulic engineering for water power plants
• F03B13/12 or F03B13/14 or F03B13/16 or F03B13/18 or F03B13/20 or F03B13/22 or
F03B13/24= wave or tidal energy

46. Hydropower: Wave or Tidal
1/1/2024
• F03B 13/12 characterised by using wave or tide energy
• F03B 13/14 using wave energy
• F03B 13/16 using the relative movement between a wave-operated member and
another member
• F03B 13/18 wherein the other member is fixed, at least at one point, with respect to
the sea bed or shore
• wherein both members are movable relative to the sea bed or shore
• F03B 13/22 using the flow of water resulting from wave movements, e.g. to drive a
hydraulic motor or turbine
• F03B 13/24 to produce a flow of air, e.g. to drive an air turbine [2006.01]
• F03B 13/26 using tide energy

47. Hydropower
1/1/2024
Hydraulic
engineering for
water power plants
Wave or tidal
energy
Jurisdictions (4,215 patent families)
- Hydraulic engineering for water power plants as well as wave or tidal energy.

48. Hydropower
1/1/2024
Timeline (4,215 patent families)
Hydraulic
engineering for
water power plants
Wave or tidal
energy
Large group of patents in 2021, most assigned to Zhuravlev
Valerievich.

49. Hydropower
1/1/2024
Year 2021
Hydraulic
engineering for
water power plants
Wave or tidal
energy

50. Hydropower
1/1/2024
Correlation of IPC codes (4,215 patent families)
Hydraulic
engineering for
water power plants
Wave or tidal
energy
- E02B9/00 Water-power plants
- F03B13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of
machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus.
- most assigned to Zhuravlev Valerievich

51. Hydropower
1/1/2024
Landscape Map (4,215 patent families)
Hydraulic
engineering for
water power plants
Wave or tidal
energy
Peak:
-Power
Generation

52. “There is an urgent need to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry,
dramatically reduce wasted energy, and significantly shift our power
supplies from oil, coal, and natural gas to wind, solar, geothermal, and
other renewable energy sources.” Bill McKibben
1/1/2024
Geothermal

53. Geothermal
1/1/2024
• A general patent search was conducted for geothermal energy with a
publication date >= 2018 through late 2023 and retrieved over 10,000 patent
families.
• Similar to Solar, Wind and Hydropower, China has the most patent families in
the technology area.

54. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Top 10 Jurisdictions (10,567 patent families)

55. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Top 10 IPC subclassifications
- Focus on IPC subclass, F24T :Geothermal Collectors, Geothermal
Systems which reduce the over 10,000 results to 2,679 patent families.

56. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Top 10 IPC subgroups
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems
- IPC subgroups for the 2,679 patent families.

57. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Top 10 IPC Subgroup Descriptions
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems
F24T10/20 Geothermal Collectors: using underground water as working fluid; using
working fluid injected directly into the ground, e.g. using injection wells and recovery wells
F24T10/00 Geothermal Collectors:
F24T10/10 with circulation of working fluids through underground channels, the working
fluids not coming into direct contact with the ground
F24T10/13 using tube assemblies suitable for insertion into boreholes in the ground, e.g.
geothermal probe
F24T10/15 :using tubes assembled with connectors or with return headers
F24T10/17 using bent tubes; using tubes closed at one end, i.e. return-type tubes
F24T50/00 geothermal systems (for producing mechanical power from geothermal energy
F25B30/06 Heat Pump:
characterised by the source of low potential heat
F24F5/00 Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by group

58. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Timeline (2,679 patent families)
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems

59. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Top 10 IPC subgroup by Probable Assignees
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems
- The majority were Chinese based companies and there is no
dominant assignee.
- 2,679 patent families

60. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Keyword clustering (2,679 patent families)
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems

61. Geothermal
1/1/2024
Keyword clustering Spreadsheet
 F24T
:Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal
Systems
- Sample of data from clustering can be
used to create a matrix based on
keywords.

62. Geothermal: Normalize Data
• An approach to normalize the data is removing
patent families that only contain a China jurisdiction.
• Rerun the search.
• Analyze the results.
1/1/2024

63. 1/1/2024
Jurisdictions
• Remove CN as only family member from 2,679 patent family
set:
• 761 patent family records to analyze
Geothermal
 F24T :Geothermal
Collectors,
Geothermal Systems

64. "If you're using first-class land for biofuels,
then you're competing with the growing of
food. And so you're actually spiking food
prices by moving energy production into
agriculture." Bill Gates
Biofuel
1/1/2024

65. Biofuel
1/1/2024
• A general patent search was conducted on biofuel with a publication date >=
2018 through late 2023 and retrieved over 13,858 patent families.
• “Unlike other renewable energy sources, biomass can be converted directly
into liquid fuels, called "biofuels," to help meet transportation fuel needs. The
two most common types of biofuels in use today are ethanol and biodiesel,
both of which represent the first generation of biofuel technology.”1

66. 1/1/2024
Top 10 IPC subgroups (13,858 families)
Biofuel

67. Biofuel
1/1/2024
• Focus the search on IPC subgroups C10L1/02 or C10L5/44 >= 2018 through
late 2023 and obtain 2,669 patent families
• C10L1/02 Fuels not otherwise provided for; natural gas; synthetic natural gas obtained by
processes not covered by subclasses c10g or c10k; liquefied petroleum gas; use of
additives to fuels or fires; fire-lighters; liquid carbonaceous fuels; essentially based on
components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• C10L5/44 Solid fuels; essentially based on materials of non-mineral origin; on vegetable
substances

68. 1/1/2024
Timeline (2,669 families)
Biofuel
 Non synthetic liquid
carbonaceous fuels
Solid fuels, vegetable
substances

69. 1/1/2024
Jurisdictions (2,669 families)
Biofuel
Non synthetic liquid
carbonaceous fuels
Solid fuels, vegetable
substances

70. 1/1/2024
Top 10 Probable Assignees (2,669 families)
Biofuel
Non synthetic liquid
carbonaceous fuels
Solid fuels, vegetable
substances

71. 1/1/2024
Keyword clustering (2,669 families)
Biofuel
Non synthetic liquid
carbonaceous fuels
Solid fuels, vegetable
substances

72. Biofuel : Normalize Data
• An approach to normalize the data is removing
patent families that only contain a China jurisdiction.
• Rerun the search.
• Analyze the results.
1/1/2024

73. 1/1/2024
Jurisdictions
• Remove CN as only family member from 2,669 patent family
set:
• 991 patent family records to analyze
Biofuel
Non synthetic liquid
carbonaceous fuels
Solid fuels, vegetable
substances

74. Summary of Data
Examined in this
Presentation
- Renewable energy is only a small fraction of energy
compared to fossil fuels.
-The data obtained for the analysis was from simple searches
and was not derived from an exhaustive search.
- During the time period 2019-2023, China, overall,
dominates the number of patent families in renewable energy
areas examined in this presentation.
- Wind energy in the wind motors distribution of electrical
energy has seen an increase in patent counts up until 2022
followed by a a decline in 2023.
- Biofuels has seen in a decline in patent counts since 2022.
- A large number of patents in the Hydropower hydraulic
engineering for water power plants as well as wave or tidal
energy was attributed to Russia (specifically to Zhuravlev
Valerievich in Year 2021)
1/1/2024

75. Thank you
1/1/2024
Robert (Bob) March works as a patent analyst for a
private firm that conducts patent and literature searching
for many fortune 500 companies and top IP law firms.
Bob holds a Qualification Certificate as a Qualified
Patent Information Professional and a Certificate in
Competitive Intelligence from Drexel University. Bob
began his career indexing patents for IFI Plenum
company. After a year of indexing, Bob began an over
30-year career with the DuPont company. While at
DuPont, Bob began as an agricultural synthesis chemist
prior to embarking on 22 years in information science
mainly as a patent analyst in the Central Research and
Development and Legal Departments.