The oil & gas industry continues to be a hotbed of patent innovation. Activity is driven by carbon emission reductions efforts, the energy transition, and need for improved energy security, and growing importance of technologies such as carbon capture, low-carbon hydrogen production, and energy storage. In the last three years alone, there have been over 523,000 patents filed and granted in the oil & gas industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Innovation in oil & gas: green hydrogen synthesis. Buy the report here.
Smarter leaders trust GlobalData
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.
60+ innovations will shape the oil & gas industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the oil & gas industry using innovation intensity models built on over 196,000 patents, there are 60+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, high-pressure gas vessels, boil-off gas treatment, and oil recovery CWI are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Green hydrogen synthesis, hydrocarbon lubricants, and oil well surveillance are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are cryogenic gas separation and olefin metathesis catalysts, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for the oil & gas industry
Green hydrogen synthesis is a key innovation area in oil & gas
Green hydrogen synthesis refers to the process of producing hydrogen using renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, in combination with electrolysis. The method is considered environmentally friendly and sustainable as it does not produce greenhouse gas emissions.
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 290+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established oil & gas companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of green hydrogen synthesis.
Key players in green hydrogen synthesis – a disruptive innovation in the oil & gas 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 green hydrogen synthesis
| Company | Total patents (2010 - 2022) | Premium intelligence on the world's largest companies |
| The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission | 291 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toshiba | 261 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Siemens | 228 | Unlock Company Profile |
| De Nora Permelec | 174 | Unlock Company Profile |
| CEA | 152 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Panasonic | 139 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Asahi Kasei | 106 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Industrie De Nora | 96 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Honda Motor | 82 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fujifilm | 78 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NACCO Materials Handling Group | 75 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kawasaki Heavy Industries | 70 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sumitomo Electric Industries | 66 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toyota Motor | 63 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Robert Bosch Stiftung | 63 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hymeth Aps | 61 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Saudi Arabian Oil | 60 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Kyocera | 49 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Nihon Trim | 47 | Unlock Company Profile |
| 3M | 46 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Next Hydrogen | 46 | Unlock Company Profile |
| ThyssenKrupp | 41 | Unlock Company Profile |
| NGK Spark Plug | 40 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Rolls-Royce | 39 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Osaka Gas | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Sharp | 36 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Tokuyama | 34 | Unlock Company Profile |
| BASF | 31 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Metso Outotec | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Metso | 30 | Unlock Company Profile |
| HTceramix | 29 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Giner | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| G T A | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Johnson Matthey | 28 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi | 27 | Unlock Company Profile |
| MiZ | 26 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Airbus | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| TotalEnergies | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| AquaHydrex | 25 | Unlock Company Profile |
| SoftBank Group | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Angewandten Forschung | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Japan Technological Research Association of Artificial Photosynthetic Chemical Process | 24 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Hitachi Zosen | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Skyre | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Mitsubishi Heavy Industries | 23 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Engie | 21 | Unlock Company Profile |
| RAG-Stiftung | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Raytheon Technologies | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
| Toto | 20 | Unlock Company Profile |
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
CEA is one of the leading patent filers in green hydrogen synthesis for the oil & gas industry. The French government research organization is a leader in low carbon energies technology development. In accordance with the French Green Hydrogen Plan 2020-2030, CEA has undertaken several research projects focusing on green hydrogen. Some other key patent filers in the space include Toshiba, Siemens, and De Nora Permelec.
In terms of application diversity, TotalEnergies leads the pack, while SoftBank and Toto stood in the second and third positions, respectively. TotalEnergies is actively involved in the development of hydrogen economy in Europe. It currently operates two green hydrogen plants, whereas as an operator it has nine upcoming green hydrogen plants spread across Europe, Americas, Africa, and Oceania.
By means of geographic reach, SoftBank held the top position, followed by NACCO Materials Handling and Metso Outotec. Japanese multinational investment firm, SoftBank, has extended financial support to upcoming green hydrogen projects across the world, including Saudi Arabia, Kenya, California, Mongolia, India, and Norway.
As the world takes early steps towards decarbonization and overall energy transition, the pioneers of green hydrogen synthesis could well become the drivers of the energy markets in the future.
To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the oil & gas industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Oil & Gas.
Premium Insights
From
The gold standard of business intelligence.
Blending expert knowledge with cutting-edge technology, GlobalData’s unrivalled proprietary data will enable you to decode what’s happening in your market. You can make better informed decisions and gain a future-proof advantage over your competitors.
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.
