Patent-based indicators for analyzing the wind power markets

Global climate change and finiteness of current primary energy resources have increased the importance of more sustainable energy sources. For the next decade the wind technology is one the most promising technology in a long transition to more sustainable energy sources. Intellectual property - especially patents related to technological innovation - is at the heart of today's wind energy. This paper aims to analyze the development of wind energy technologies. The patent-based indicators are measured using backward citation analysis, technology cycle time, patent family size and International Patent Classification. The most important wind energy technologies are determined using literature review. Research material is based on the patents of the six leading wind industry actors. The indicators are determined using the patenting activity of the leading firms using the EPO Worldwide database (PATSTAT). The evaluation of the given indicators will give an invaluable insight into the competitive environment in the wind energy industry.