The power industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by increased demand for solar energy and energy storage and the need for advancements to improve solar cell efficiency, and growing importance of technologies such as regular n-i-p structures and inverted p-i-n structures. In the last three years alone, there have been over 695,000 patents filed and granted in the power industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in power: perovskite photoactive layering. Buy the report here.
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However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilizing and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
45+ innovations will shape the power industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the power industry using innovation intensity models built on over 83,000 patents, there are 45+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, variable speed gas turbines and HVDC transmission are the disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Perovskite photoactive layering, multi-port power converters, and power distribution control system are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are wind turbine gearbox and offshore wind turbine pre-assembly, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the power industry
Perovskite photoactive layering is a key innovation area in power
Perovskite photoactive layering is used in some of the recent solar cells. It includes a perovskite-structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, as the light-harvesting active layer.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 140+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of perovskite photoactive layering.
Key players in perovskite photoactive layering – a disruptive innovation in the power industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of applications identified for each patent. It broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of countries each patent is registered in. It reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to perovskite photoactive layering
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| LG Corp | 113 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sekisui Chemical Co Ltd | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Samsung Group | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fujifilm Holdings Corp | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Oxford Photovoltaics Ltd | 14 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kao Corp | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Avantama Ag | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kolon Corp | 10 | Unlock Company Profile |
| International Business Machines Corp | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| OTI Lumionics Inc | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toshiba Corp | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solvay SA | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sony Group Corp | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nutech Ventures | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BASF SE | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solar-Tectic LLC | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Panasonic Holdings Corp | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cambrios Film Solutions Corporation | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Cam Holding Corp | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Heraeus Holding GmbH | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Asahi Kasei Corp | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sharp Corp | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ROHM Co Ltd | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Chemical Co Ltd | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Ricoh Co Ltd | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| The Boeing Co | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CubicPV Inc. | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toray Industries, Inc. | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hyundai Motor Co | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Lockheed Martin Corp | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kia Corp | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Electricite de France SA | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TotalEnergies SE | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Brookhaven Science Associates LLC | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanoholdings LLC | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| RIBER | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Isorg SA | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Investech Partners Investments LLC | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Huawei Investment & Holding Co Ltd | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Senorics GmbH | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CEA | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung eV | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Haci Omer Sabanci Holding AS | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Heliatek GmbH | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
LG is one of the leading patent filers in perovskite photoactive layering. LG is an industrial conglomerate that offers television and home entertainment products, kitchen and laundry products, computers, air conditioners, and solar panels. The company manages equity investment portfolios on a corporate level and allocates resources to subsidiaries. Some other key patent filers are Sekisui Chemical, Fujifilm, Samsung Group, and Oxford Photovoltaics.
In terms of application diversity, Toray Industries leads the pack, while Hon Hon Hai Precision Industry and Kao stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, Investech Partners Investments held the top position, followed by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Hyundai Motor.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the power industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Power.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
