Japan, the United States, Germany, Republic of Korea, France and the United Kingdom – are the six countries at the source of almost 80pc of all innovations developed worldwide in the field of clean energy technologies (CETs), according to the findings of a new study.
The patent-based study, Patents and Clean Energy: Bridging the Gap Between Evidence and Policy, examined the effect of patents on the worldwide transfer of CETs, such as solar photovoltaic (PV), geothermal, wind, and carbon capture.
The main objective of the study is to provide facts in an area where there has previously been little empirical data.
Informed debate
“Patents play a key role in providing information about existing technologies, the level of their development and geographic spread. This information facilitates an informed debate on climate change,” said EPO President Benoît Battistelli.
While European countries are leading the way for greener patents, China, India and Brazil are catching up and doubling their efforts in clean tech sectors, added Battistelli.
