Patents wanted!

The Institute for Competitiveness (I-Com), a think tank established in 2005 by a group of scholars, professionals and managers, every year prepares a report on the innovative activities of companies worldwide, looking at the number of patents requested. The latest, published this year and referring to 2017, highlights a number of interesting scenarios in the world of renewable energy.

The first figure, a positive one, regards patenting activity in general, also in 2017, up by 4% compared to the previous year—a confirmation, more than a surprise, given the growth trend of the last five years which has taken the number of patents granted at the global level to the record figure of approximately 1.46 million. In 2017, most of these regarded photovoltaic solar power and energy storage. In fact, the two sectors totalled respectively 9,119 and 8,965 patents. Immediately after is the field of wind power, with 5,203 patents granted, while the other technologies follow at a due distance.

The highest numbers were recorded in China, where applications numbered 352,567 and the increase reached 9%. These were, however, almost entirely domestic patents and, therefore, of modest value. In second place was, again, Japan, followed by the United States, with only 260 applications fewer than the Land of the Rising Sun.

As regards the main international and European players, Italy occupies a marginal position, with its proportion of patenting stable at around 1% of the global total. For almost all cases, the applicants are private firms (74%), while natural persons are 23%, and the remaining 3% are universities and public research bodies or foundations. At the geographical level, Lombardy occupies the top position and accounts for around two and a half times the number of patents of Emilia-Romagna, in second place. The two regions together hold more than half the total patents granted to Italy in 2017.

As regards sustainable (electric) mobility, energy storage is the technology with the greatest number of patents (more than 10,000). Behind, at a considerable distance, come recharging stations, hybrid and electric vehicles and fuel cells for transport. In this specific sector, Japan is the leader: 1,083 patent applications, more than the United States, Korea and Germany (respectively, 911, 689 and 660 patents). Italy, also in this case, remains on the side lines, with just 22 patents filed regarding the sectors of energy storage and recharging stations.

Playing a role of leading importance in the employment market and the economy are start-ups, also encouraged by the government with Italian Law 221/2012, with a view to fostering innovation, sustainable development and growth. In fact, in May 2019, there were 10,281 of them, of which 1,474 (14%) in the energy sector. According to the available figures, in addition 17% (1,751) have at least one patent filed and/or a registered software programme. This percentage rises further (arriving at 22.5%) when we are talking about start-ups in the energy field, the most active from the point of view of innovation.

The concentration of new enterprises is higher in the northern regions (55%), with Lombardy at the top, followed by the southern areas (24%) and finally the central regions (21%). The last region of Italy in number of start-ups is Valle d’Aosta, with only 20 new business initiatives. At the level of production value, however, only 3.5% of start-ups (equally for the total sample as well as energy start-ups) have turnover of more than one million euro. Most (90%) stop under the threshold of € 500,000. However, despite this limit, their impact on the economy and employment reaches a total value of € 3.7 billion and 68,000 jobs, of which around 9,500 are just in the energy segment. A “hot” sector then, and one which has seen exponential growth since 2012 (the year of their introduction), both overall and in terms of new entries.