The power industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by the rising demand for low-carbon power generation and increased efficiency, and the growing importance of technologies such as energy storage. 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: CAES gas turbines. 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

CAES gas turbines is a key innovation area in power

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a technology of storing electrical energy generated during periods of surplus supply and making it accessible again during times of high demand. Electrical energy is utilised in a CAES system to compress air, which is then stored in an underground reservoir and back produced using energy recovered in a gas turbine.

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 40+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of CAES gas turbines.

Key players in CAES gas turbines – 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 CAES gas turbines

Kobe Steel, General Electric, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Siemens are among the leading patent filers in CAES gas turbines. Siemens, a world leader in power generation with a broad portfolio and global installed base of thousands of utility- and industrial-grade gas turbines and compressors, is at the forefront of CAES technology. Back in 1991, a McIntosh 110 MW CAES plant in Alabama was built with Siemens Energy technology. Siemens signed an agreement to collaborate with Corre Energy, a European company focused on long-duration energy storage based on compressed air technology.

In terms of application diversity, RTX, Siemens, Gandini, IFP Energies nouvelles, and Fives are some of the leading players in CAES gas turbines. By geographic reach, Li Hongtao leads the pack, followed by Ormat Technologies and Stellantis.

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the power industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Power.

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.