The power industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by efficiency of power transmission over long distances, affordable prices of transmission cables, as well as minimization of maintenance and operation expenses and growing importance of technologies such as LoRaWAN, ZigBee and Sigfox. 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: HVDC transmission. 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
HVDC transmission systems is a key innovation area in power
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems are used to transmit large amounts of electrical power over long distances. HVDC transmission systems use direct current (DC) instead of alternating current (AC).
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 170+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of HVDC transmission systems.
Key players in HVDC transmission systems – 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 HVDC transmission systems
| Company | Total patents (2021 - 2023) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| State Grid Corporation of China | 255 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China Southern Power Grid | 186 | Unlock Company Profile |
| General Electric | 145 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NR Electric | 95 | Unlock Company Profile |
| LS Electric | 63 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Alstom | 54 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Information and Telecommunication | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ABB | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nari Relays Electric | 22 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanjing Nari-Relays Engineering Technology | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NARI Group | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Korea Electric Power | 18 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xuji Electric | 17 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nanjing Nanrui Jibao Engineering Technology | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Eaton | 16 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Xuji Group | 15 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China Three Gorges | 11 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Shanghai Municipal Electric Power | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Schneider Electric | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NARI Technology | 9 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Siemens | 8 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hyosung Heavy Industries | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Beijing Sifang Automation | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China-EPRI Electric Power Engineering | 7 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Power Construction Corporation of China | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Guangzhou Bureau Of Extra High Voltage Transmission Company Of China Southern Power Grid | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Smart Wires | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| XJ Group | 6 | Unlock Company Profile |
| POSCO | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Delta Electronics | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Jibei Electric Power | 5 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TBEA Xinjiang Sunoasis | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China Energy Engineering Group | 4 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Department of Atomic Energy, India | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ALSTOM Grid UK | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Raytheon Technologies | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Safran | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hyosung | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Qingdao Power Supply Company Of State Grid Shandong Electric Power | 3 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Solix Group | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Hebei Electric Power Supply | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| State Grid Energy Saving Service | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| North China Branch of State Grid Corporation of China | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Jiangsu Fangtian Power Technology | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Changzhou Nr Electric Power Electronics | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China South Power Grid International | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| PacketFabric | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Uni-President | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
| China XD Group | 2 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
State Grid Corporation of China, China Southern Power Grid, and General Electric are the key patent filers in HVDC transmission systems. In August 2022, State Grid Corporation of China revealed $22bn investment for executing a new batch of ultra-high voltage (UHV) power transmission projects across China.
China Southern Power Grid (CSG) has developed the UHV Flexible DC Converter Valve with large storage. The company manages all technical aspects of this technology.
In terms of application diversity, Guangzhou Bureau of Extra High Voltage Transmission Company of China Southern Power Grid leads the pack, while Schneider Electric and State Grid Information and Telecommunication stood in the second and third positions, respectively. By means of geographic reach, North China Branch of State Grid held the top position, followed by Changzhou Nr Electric Power Electronics and ABB.
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.
