Titel: Patent data as indicators of wind power technology development
Författare: Ervin Dubarić, Dimitris Giannoccaro, Rune Bengtsson, Thomas Ackermann
Utgivare: World Patent Information
Årtal: 2011
Ämnesord: wind power, patent, technology development
Report via ScienceDirect
Sammanfattning/Abstract:
Currently, wind power technology is one of the fastest growing renewable energy technologies. Europe is faced with global challenges of climate change, increasing fuel cost and the threat of supply disruptions. Over the next 12 years, according to the European Commission, 360 GW of new electricity capacity needs to be built to replace ageing European power plants and must meet the expected increase in demand. In December 2008, the European Union agreed upon a binding target of 20% renewable energy by 2020. The European Commission expects wind energy’s share to increase from about 4% in 2008 to 12% in 2020. There was a new agreement in March 2009 where the target was set from 180 GW to 230 GW, which included even offshore wind. The new target increases the wind energy share to 14–18%. Wind energy is one of six “European Industrial Initiatives” proposed by the European Commission to accelerate innovation and deployment of strategically important technology. These targets will stimulate the wind power industry to develop and improve new wind power technologies. The question is whether we will see larger wind turbines or more efficient ones [1].
Various methods and models have been developed to predict or plan the future of technologies in the industry. Some of these methods are based on a life cycle approach where technology is expected to follow an S-curve. Databases are valuable sources for such life cycle data and corresponding S-curves. One method, which is known to provide different important economic indicators, is the analysis of patents. The correlation between the number of patent applications and technological breakthrough, technological growth rate, as well as technological forecast has been made on various levels and for different technologies [2], [3], [4] and [5]. The results from a patent data analysis can provide a company with important information about the value of their own patent portfolio as well as activities of a competitor [6] and [7].
The aim of this work is to use the life cycle approach, by using patent applications, in order to study the technological development of a specific technology, namely wind power technology.