The power industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by the increasing demand for renewable power, improved supply reliability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and growing importance of technologies such as lithium-ion batteries, lithium iron phosphate batteries, and sodium-based batteries. In the last three years alone, there have been over 439,000 patents filed and granted in the power industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Environment Sustainability in Power: Battery actuated generators.
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 stabilising 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.
90+ 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 90+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, smart lighting system, PCM thermal energy storage, and solid electrolyte fuel cell membrane are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Ceramic oxide nuclear fuel, geothermal heat pumps, and hybrid PV plants are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are combined-cycle gas turbines and ethylene co-polymer PV modules, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for environmental sustainability in the power industry
Battery actuated generators is a key innovation area in environmental sustainability
A battery-actuated generator is a system device that generates electricity without the use of fossil fuels or the need for external sources of recharge.
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 50+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established power companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of battery actuated generators.
Key players in battery actuated generators – a disruptive innovation in the power industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to battery actuated generators
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
In terms of application diversity, Mitsubishi Electric is one of the leading patent filers in battery actuated generators. Mitsubishi Electric develops, manufactures and markets electrical and electronics products. The company offers multiple lithium battery backup solutions, compatible with various sized UPS. Mitsubishi Electric offers multiple UPS lithium battery solutions, each with its own virtues, depending on particular runtime requirements, UPS size, and power needs. Mitsubishi offers products such as BCL07 | SLFP (Super Lithium Iron Phosphate), BCL06 | SLFP (Super Lithium Iron Phosphate), BCL04-BB | LMO/NMC (Lithium Manganese Oxide/Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide), and BCL04-BBA01 | LMO/NMC (Lithium Manganese Oxide/Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide).
In terms of application diversity, Fuji Electric, ThyssenKrupp, and Schaeffler are some of the leading patent filers in battery actuated generators. Based on geographic reach, General Electric, MITSUBA, and Siemens are some of the leading patent filers in battery actuated generators.
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.
