UK’s ten point plan to hit net zero - Robbie Gauld & Tomas Karger

The UK government has set a target of reaching net zero by 2050, and to facilitate this, it has devised a 10-point plan.
Torness power station on the east coast of Scotland. Delivering new and advanced nuclear power is part of the UK’s ten point plan for net zero.  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)Torness power station on the east coast of Scotland. Delivering new and advanced nuclear power is part of the UK’s ten point plan for net zero.  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Torness power station on the east coast of Scotland. Delivering new and advanced nuclear power is part of the UK’s ten point plan for net zero. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

This consists of advancing offshore wind, driving the growth of low carbon hydrogen, delivering new and advanced nuclear power, accelerating the shift to zero emission vehicles, green public transport, cycling and walking, ‘jet zero’ and green ships, greener buildings, investing in carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS), protecting our natural environment and green finance and innovation.

The UK Intellectual Property Office recently published insightful data on worldwide patenting of technology relevant to this plan, which covered a range of technology areas. The published data presents patenting trends which could be viewed as a proxy for innovation in technology areas relating to the plan from 2001-2018.

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All the identified fields have seen increases in worldwide patenting since 2001. This includes nuclear, hydrogen, green vehicles, green building and heat pumps, CCUS, and flood and coastal defence technologies. In many instances this global increase may be attributed to increased patenting from countries such as China and the United States.

The UK has not exhibited the same broad increase across all these sectors. Hydrogen, green vehicles and nuclear have shown significant increases in patenting. For example, nuclear power patents filed in the UK from 2016-2018 tripled, suggesting innovation is on the rise. Further, the UK government is set to invest up to £215m into Small Modular Reactors and £170m for nuclear R&D, which could result in a continued increase in the number of nuclear patents originating from the UK.

On the other hand, UK patenting related to green buildings and heat pumps, CCUS, and flood and coastal defence has seen a recent decrease or plateau. For example, the number of patents relating to greener buildings was increasing before levelling off in 2013 and actually decreased in 2018. Moreover, the UK is not particularly active in patent applications for heat pump technology. Similarly, patenting in CCUS in the UK peaked in 2010, with slightly fewer patents being filed since.

However, these trends may be set to change. The UK government is aiming for 600,000 heat pump installations per year by 2028, suggesting that innovation in this field may increase. The UK also wants to become a global leader in CCUS, and the government intends to invest over £130m in R&D and innovation to develop carbon capture technologies in the UK.

Patents are filed initially as patent applications which, in most jurisdictions, require examination prior to granting as patents. The data does not distinguish between patent applications or patents. Some patent applications do not proceed to patent grant. The published data does not track which applications have resulted in granted patents and which have been abandoned.

Additionally, patent applications are generally not published until 18 months after filing. As such there is always a lag until the filed patent applications publish and are visible for public inspection. With these caveats in mind, the data published still provides insightful global and UK-specific innovation trends.

Further, it is worth noting that a particular technology area may not relate to only the core technology in that sector. For example, data presented in respect of wind power relates to wind energy-specific technology, such as wind turbine blades, and technologies which can also be used for wind power such as optimisation of power grids.

In summary, it’s clear the world is now making serious efforts to advance greener technologies, as reflected in the increasing number of patents being filed across the globe relating to the noted technologies.

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UK patenting data displays significant innovation in many green technology sectors too, and government plans and investments already underway might increase innovation in previously lagging sectors. This could support the UK to become a worldwide leader in green technology. Additionally, although not mentioned in the 10-point plan specifically, it will be interesting to monitor how innovation develops around nuclear fusion, which many believe could play a significant role in the future of energy production.

Robbie Gauld is a European Patent Attorney and Tomas Karger is a Chartered UK Patent Attorney and Canadian Patent Agent, Marks & Clerk

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