Alternative energy powers up
Who will win the international race to secure energy independence and to establish dominance in alternative energy technology?
The race amongst the world's largest nations to secure energy independence in the 21st century is fuelling a surge in alternative energy research and development. From North America to Europe to Asia, countries are devoting tens of billions of dollars to fund research for wind, solar and marine energy technologies.
To investigate who the leaders in alternative energy will be, what technologies will they pioneer and where will they come from, Thomson Reuters analyzed global R&D activity in the fields of wind, solar and marine power. By tracking patent activity by technology, region and organization type, researchers were able to gain insights into areas of innovation that are receiving the most attention. They looked at each link in the R&D chain, from academic and government research to small commercial developers to large industrial producers who will ultimately bring new solutions to market. This approach of measuring patent activity across these three links—the three estates of R&D—provides insight into not only the pace of innovation but also the maturity of new technologies under development.
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