Archive
CONCENTRATED SOLAR POWER. Latest granted patents 2016-2018. Solar Tower
Summary
Solar tower systems (also called central receiver systems) are considered to be one of the most promising and efficient solar power generation technologies widely used around the world. The concept is based on a focusing of beam radiation onto a central receiver from a large array of flat mirrors (heliostats). The connection of a solar tower to a molten salt energy storage system extends the operating hours of a solar power plant while there is low solar activity. Compared to its competitors, central receiver systems have several advantages, such as higher cost-effectiveness, a more efficient energy conversion process, lower energy loss, and multiple energy storage options. At the same time, to ensure the stable operation of a solar tower facility, high requirements must be met, such as precise and coordinated control of the heliostat field, accurate performance of tracking devices, high energy conversion efficiency, etc. New designs and process refinements are constantly being developed to improve the technology, which are best highlighted in the recent patent solutions.
A selection of patents related to Solar Tower in Concentrated Solar Power and published by patent offices around the globe in 2016-2018 is provided for review in the present bulletin. General research methodology can be found on the Advanced Energy Technologies website. The present bulletin includes 607 patents, prepared by applicants from 26 countries and registered in 20 patent offices. The patent documents mention 364 applicants and 581 IPC subgroups.
Key Highlights
Statistical information presented in the bulletin includes distribution of patent documents by years, by patent offices and by applicant countries, applicant-related data (residents and non-residents), and data on the most frequently mentioned International Patent Classification divisions (sections, classes, subclasses, groups, and subgroups). The largest number of patents during the period of time under revision was granted by the patent office of China.
Based on the analysis of each of the patents, internal characteristics of unified indicators (technical problems, types of inventive solutions, belonging to one or other technological segment) were found, which allowed specific features for each of the indicators for the entire array of documents to be defined, for instance, to define the leading problems or technical solution types that were disclosed by the inventors the most. Document lists are provided for the ten most popular groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators, including their ID numbers and applicant names.
The following information can be found for the top 10 applicants: breakdown of documents by problems, IPC sections, patent offices, technological indicators, as well as the estimation of their share in the established intellectual property market. The 10 leading applicants by the number of patent documents were: University of Stellenbosch (ZA), Alstom Technology, Ltd. (CH), Abengoa Solar New Technologies, S.A. (ES), Babcock & Wilcox Company (US), Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Ltd (JP), Cockerill Maintenance & Ingenierie S.A. (BE), BASF, SE (DE), Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) (DE), SolarReserve, LLC (US) and Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) (FR).
The top prominent documents section includes three lists of the top 10 patents having the highest bibliographical rating, the largest number of IPC sections, and the shortest patent pending time.
A list of all of the documents reviewed, arranged by the top 10 groups of patent documents with identical unified indicators and by patent offices with the indication of the ID numbers of the granted patents is provided in the conclusive part of the bulletin.
Who needs this bulletin?
The proposed patent statistics bulletin allows the existing trends in the intellectual property market of the specified industrial sector to be timely traced, as well as the possibility of acquiring a carefully selected list of patent documents fully corresponding to the specified subject. The bulletin can be useful for inventors, engineers, scientific workers, and business representatives, who are focused on the development of solar energy production technologies.
