Shift to clean tech hydrogen patents led by EU and Japan
New global study shows sharp trend towards green hydrogen tech | climate change concerns driving electrolysis and fuel cell innovation | European Patent Office | International Energy Agency.
Global innovation in hydrogen technology is becoming cleaner and greener, with Europe and Japan taking the lead and the US lagging, according to a joint global study by the European Patent Office ( EPO) and the International Energy Agency ( IEA).
While hydrogen production is currently almost entirely fossil-based, technology patents in this field have shifted “massively” towards alternative, low-emissions methods over the past decade, said the report, which analysed trends in hydrogen technologies over 2011-2020.
The study is the first of its kind, said the report authors, and covers the full range of technologies from hydrogen supply to storage, distribution and transformation, to end-use applications.
More than 80% of all hydrogen-production related patents in 2020 were driven by climate concerns, with growth spurred primarily by a sharp increase of innovation in electrolysis.
Geographic hotspots
Geographically, patenting related to hydrogen technology is led by the EU, with 28% of all international patent families (IPFs) in this field held by EU countries. Japan follows second (24%), while the US is the only major innovation centre to have experienced a decline in international hydrogen patent applications over the past decade.
Within Europe, Germany (11%), France (6%) and the Netherlands (3%) ranked first for patenting hydrogen technologies, and Europe gained an edge in electrolyser manufacturing capacity, the report found.
While South Korea and China saw “modest” international patenting activity in hydrogen technologies, growth is climbing.
Other countries generating “significant” volumes of hydrogen patents include the UK, Switzerland and Canada.
Asia: Automotive leads innovation
While innovation in established hydrogen technologies is dominated by the European chemical industry, the new “hydrogen patenting heavyweights” are companies from the automotive and chemicals sectors focusing on electrolysis and fuel cell technologies, said the report.
Japanese and Korean companies, typically from the automotive industry, were among the top patent applicants for emerging technologies that are motivated by climate. Their patent portfolios are mainly focused on production by electrolysis and applications based on fuel cells, but also extend to established technologies for the storage and distribution of liquid or gaseous hydrogen, with a view to importing stored hydrogen in the near future.
Beyond the private sector, universities and public research institutes generated 13% of all hydrogen-related international patents between 2011 and 2020, with French and Korean institutions leading the way, and with a focus on low-emissions hydrogen production methods such as electrolysis.
Other applications, such as long-distance transport, power generation and heavy industry, “need to ramp up”, according to the report authors.
The use of hydrogen to decarbonise steel production was cited as a “bright spot” where there has been a visible uptick in patenting, “possibly in response to the post-Paris Agreement consensus that the sector needs radical solutions to cut emissions quickly”.
In terms of funding appeal, more than half of the $10 billion in venture capital investment into hydrogen-related firms went to start-ups holding patents related to clean hydrogen technology, despite them comprising less than a third of the start-ups in the study’s dataset.
‘Encouraging’ transition patterns
EPO president António Campinos said of the findings: “Harnessing the potential of hydrogen is a key part of Europe’s strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. But if hydrogen is to play a major role in reducing CO2 emissions, innovation is urgently needed across a range of technologies.
“This report reveals some encouraging transition patterns across countries and industry sectors, including Europe’s major contribution to the emergence of new hydrogen technologies.
“It also highlights the contribution of start-ups to hydrogen innovation, and their reliance on patents to bring their inventions to market.”
IEA executive director Fatih Birol added: “Hydrogen from low-emissions sources can play an important role in clean energy transitions with potential to replace fossil fuels in industries where few clean alternatives exist, like long-haul transport and fertiliser production".
“This study shows that innovators are responding to the need for competitive hydrogen supply chains, but also identifies areas—particularly among end-users—where more effort is required. We will continue to help governments spur innovation for secure, resilient and sustainable clean energy technologies.”
This is the third joint study produced by the EPO and IEA, measured in terms of IPFs, each of which represents a high-value invention for which patent applications have been filed at two or more patent offices worldwide.
Earlier reports covered innovation in batteries and electricity storage (September 2020) and clean energy (April 2021).
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