The EPO’s Observatory on Patents and Technology has published its latest report, this time focusing on innovation in photovoltaic technology and its growth over the last three decades.
Here, we’ll consider the findings of the report: the continuing growth in filings for photovoltaic inventions; the position of China as a powerhouse for photovoltaic innovation and development; and the role of European academic and start-up innovators as leaders in specialised photovoltaic devices and materials.
An overview of the photovoltaics field
Photovoltaic technology concerns the conversion of sunlight into energy. It is a key technology in the pursuit of cleaner and renewable energy production and contributes to lowering electricity costs in the long term. Over the past three decades, photovoltaic technology has become more efficient and cost-effective – driven in part by the rapid improvement and commercialisation of silicon-based solar cells, as well as favourable legislation supporting the development and production of green technology.
This has seen photovoltaics become an increasingly accessible technology internationally. Ongoing improvements in materials, storage integration and smart grid technologies are expected to make photovoltaic technologies a cornerstone of global energy infrastructure – and a lively source of IP – for the foreseeable future.
A vibrant area of innovation
Photovoltaic technology represents an important and growing field of innovation. The global photovoltaics market was valued at USD 96.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 155.5 billion by 2028, with China as the major source of production. Patent protection strategies have accordingly shifted towards seeking protection solely in China, rather than a more international portfolio. Nevertheless, Figure 3 of the EPO report (page 24) contrasts the photovoltaics field against all other technical fields for International Patent Families (IPFs, having applications filed in at least two different countries), demonstrating the continuing appeal of photovoltaics for IPFs, despite the relative slow-down in multinational filings for photovoltaics in recent years.
The EPO report encapsulates some 340,000 inventions across 70,000 international patent categories, from 1974 until 2023. These are spread across 30 technologies in the photovoltaics fields, covering:
- photovoltaic materials;
- photovoltaic devices;
- the management of those devices; and
- their areas of application.
The report shows that filings for photovoltaic innovation have risen over time since the late 1990s and have seen a diversification in the classes of photovoltaic technologies seeking patent protection. Between 1990 and 2023, the vast majority of inventions in the photovoltaic field involved device technologies (peaking at 78% between 2000 and 2004). However, in recent times (beginning in 2020), device technology filings have dropped to around 48%, with applications (25%), materials (17%) and device management (10%) encompassing the rest of the field.
Of those, materials has represented the most dynamic increase across the review period (up from 6.7% in 1995), with perovskites- and quantum dot-based materials being a particular area of research and development, as both can be manufactured cost-effectively.
However, it is photovoltaic devices that still dominate the field. Between 1990-2023, three technologies have consistently provided the highest volumes of photovoltaic filings, all relating to devices: tandem cells, thin-film solar cells and vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (as noted in Table 1 in the report). Of those, it is worth noting that vehicle-integrated photovoltaics has seen a significant rate of increase recently, perhaps as a result of the continuing push towards the widespread use of electric cars and the desire to increase their range to provide a real competitor to fossil fuel vehicles in order to achieve this widespread use.
The international picture – China-dominated?
Since circa 2006, China has become the dominant force in photovoltaic invention and production. In fact, by 2023, China accounted for nearly 85% of the solar photovoltaic module production internationally.
The below chart (Figure E.1, on page 7 of the report) demonstrates the near seventeen-fold increase in photovoltaic inventions and the corresponding acceleration in Chinese inventions since 2006. In particular, beginning in around 2012, the number of multinational filings for photovoltaic technologies has decreased slightly, likely influenced by the vast majority of Chinese inventions being filed solely domestically.
Nevertheless, multinational filings remain relevant for applicants in other territories, with applicants from Japan, the USA, South Korea, Germany and France making up the top 20 applicants for multinational filings. Even when focussing within particular technologies in the photovoltaics field, European applicants remain in the top ten most prolific applicants, as can be seen from Figure 13 of the report. Thus, whilst China has become an important territory for protection in the photovoltaics field, Europe remains a key player in the development of this area of technology.
Academic and start-up innovation in Europe
While Europe remains a smaller theatre for photovoltaic filings, it is nevertheless an innovative one, with more than 300 European startups and universities seeking protection for photovoltaic invention between 2010 and 2023, according to data from the EPO’s Deep Tech Finder. Developers in Europe hold a particular specialism in technologies related to the deployment of photovoltaic energy and for use in fields like agriculture and for commercial installation.
Of European patent applications originating from universities, UK universities provide the greatest number of filings in geographical Europe, with the south of England being a particular hotspot of activity (as illustrated in Figure E.2, on page 8 of the report).
On the other hand, the start-up picture across Europe shows a stronger focus within mainland Europe, with a concentration of start-ups in Germany, France, Switzerland and Sweden. For both universities and start-ups, inventions tend to centre on filings for photovoltaic devices, materials and – increasingly in the case of start-ups – applications.
Conclusions:
Photovoltaics is likely to remain a vital source of green energy and renewables innovation for the foreseeable future. While China may remain the core centre for photovoltaic invention and development, the increasing rates of European incubators – and in particular British academic innovators – developing IP relating to photovoltaic technologies is certainly welcome.
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