New report: Hydrogen technology innovation shifts to low emissions EU and Japanese patents lead

The European Patent Office and the International Energy Agency jointly released a patent research report related to hydrogen technology on the 10th, pointing out that hydrogen technology innovation is shifting to low-emission solutions, and hydrogen patent applications in the EU and Japan are in the lead
.

The report provides an overview of the main trends
in hydrogen technology between 2011 and 2020 in the form of an international patent family.
Each patent family represents a patent application
for a high-value invention that has been filed with two or more patent offices worldwide.
The patent data in the report covers all technologies
from hydrogen supply to storage, distribution and conversion, as well as end-use.

The report shows that from 2011 to 2020, the EU and Japan led the world in hydrogen patent applications, accounting for 28% and 24%
of the global patent families, respectively.
Germany, France and the Netherlands are particularly prominent in the EU, with patent families accounting for 11%, 6% and 3%
of the world's patent families, respectively.
The U.
S.
hydrogen-related patent family accounts for 20 percent, but it has declined
in a decade.
South Korea and China account for 7% and 4% of hydrogen technology-related patent families, respectively, but they are rising
.

Of all patents in the hydrogen value chain, the largest
number of patents related to hydrogen production.
Patent data shows a large-scale shift in hydrogen production to low-carbon options
such as electrolysis.
As an innovation focus for hydrogen end-use applications, hydrogen patent applications in the automotive industry continue to grow, and Japan leads the way
in this regard.

The ranking of hydrogen technology patent applications shows that the European chemical industry is leading in technological innovation in electrolysis, fuel cells and other fields, and large car companies, as well as universities and public research institutions in France, South Korea and other countries, are also active
in hydrogen technology innovation.

Antonio Campinos, President of the European Patent Office, said harnessing hydrogen's potential is a key part of Europe's strategy to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, but for hydrogen to play an important role in reducing emissions, a range of technologies are in urgent need of innovation
.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said the report shows that innovators are responding to the competitive demands of the hydrogen supply chain and that innovation in areas such as hydrogen end applications still needs more investment
.