Isramart llc: Kyoto inspires massive upsurge in clean energy patents

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The signing of the Kyoto Treaty has inspired a 20 per cent annual increase in clean energy patents worldwide and the UK is one of six nations accounting for 80 per cent of innovations in the sector, a report has found.

The study on the emergence, distribution and effect of patents on the worldwide transfer of technologies such as solar PV, geothermal, wind and carbon capture, was jointly conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the European Patent Office (EPO).

The analysis shows that since the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, patenting rates in selected clean energy technologies shot up 20 per cent per year, outpacing the traditional energy sources of fossil fuels and nuclear energy.

This could provide a shot in the arm for negotiators ahead of the Cancun summit, as it demonstrates the influence political decision-making can have on technological direction and innovation.

"Far from being a drag on economies and innovation, international efforts to combat climate change have sparked technological creativity on low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy solutions," said Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and executive director of UNEP.

But the findings suggest that rather than this surge of clean energy technologies being a worldwide phenomenon, a group of six countries, lead by Japan, the US and Germany dominate the field. Close behind is Korea, which has stepped up considerably in solar PV patent applications. France and the UK complete the cluster, which together account for almost 80 per cent of all clean energy patents.

Any change in the status quo is most likely to come from China, the study said, which is following Korea's footsteps into the solar PV market and expanding its renewable energy market rapidly.

However, technology transfer may prove to be the quickest way to involve developing countries. The report found untapped potential for licensing clean energy technologies to China, India and Brazil, which over the next decade will prove to be crucial players in the fight against climate change.

And there are signs that green tech companies are taking note: about 70 per cent of respondents to a survey published alongside the report were prepared to offer more flexible terms when licensing in developing countries with limited financial capacity.

"The challenge now is to find ways in which these advances can be diffused, spread and transferred everywhere so that the benefits to both economies and the climate are shared by the many rather than the few," Steiner added.