This story is excerpted from a June 9, 2011 post on Renewable Energy World :Solar Patents Shine in 2010-Shine on Solar edition of CEPGI
As reported by The Cleantech Group at Heslin Rothenberg Farley & Mesiti, Applied led other solar photovoltaic patent owners in 2010. The findings were published June 9 in the firm’s Shine-On Solar edition of the Clean Energy Patent Growth Index (CEPGI). As detailed in the report, Applied Materials was first in the number of solar photovoltaic (PV) patents granted last year, a total of 15. Published quarterly, the CEPGI provides in depth solar energy patent analysis and indications of the trend of innovative activity in the Clean Energy sector since 2002 in the U.S. The Shine On Solar edition provides an indication of the trends in innovative activity in the Solar energy sector including leading solar patent owners and geographic areas.
“Solar PV patents spiked in 2010 to record levels with third generation solar PV patents topping the other generations of PV technology,” said Victor Cardona, Co-chair of the firm's Cleantech Group . “Applied Materials led the other Solar PV patent owners while Solar Thermal patents in 2010 were granted to 24 separate entities led by Fu Zhun Precision Industry and Foxconn Technology Co., Ltd. with only five patents.”
The Clean Energy Patent Growth Index also detailed other clean tech patents such as wind and fuel cell technology, as compared to solar. Solar patents in 2010 reached a level second only to Fuel Cell patents which had led the other sectors since the beginning of 2002. Solar patents reached and exceeded the level of wind patents in 2009.
