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Tag:

wind turbine

Pace of Wind Innovation Slows, But is Set to Skyrocket Again

Pace of Wind Innovation Slows, But is Set to Skyrocket Again

written by CleanTechies.com Contributor

Totaro & Associates, a Houston, TX based research and consulting firm has released a new research report on the pace of wind turbine technology innovation and proliferation.

IP ownership rankings show General Electric still leading with over 1,400 patent families, and the ability to now leverage the Alstom wind portfolio, which puts the combined total above 1,550.  Siemens has overtaken Vestas for #2 as predicted in last year’s report, and Mitsubishi drops from #4 to #5.

Previously outside the top 10, Guodian United Power has rocketed up into the #4 spot due to more patent filings in 2012 than any other company, although most filings were exclusive to China.

The top 10 wind turbine manufacturers control more than 56% of all wind patent filings, as well as over 77% of the patents which are broadly applicable to the entire industry or potentially infringed.  This strongly suggests the concentration of innovation in wind lies with those who can afford it.

The pace of patent filings has finally dropped for the first time after an average CAGR of 47% during the 2007 – 2011 time-frame.  The report indicates only a 7% growth in the number of global patent filings in wind in 2012 vs. 2011 and a slight decline for 2013 is expected as the recent market downturn has put a damper on research and development (R&D) spending and expenditure on IP protection.

Market conditions indicate that the pace is set to increase again in the coming years due to an increased commitment of expenditure on R&D.  Some companies are spending up to 6% of their revenue on R&D, which is almost double the spend rate in 2010 after the financial crisis.  Filings are expected to return to the levels seen in 2011 by 2015/16, although the average CAGR is expected to be a more modest 5 – 10%.

The research also shows that the US has the greatest number of patent filings on wind turbine technology, and companies have collectively spent over $162M on IP protection with over 8,365 individual patent filings there.  Europe is second at $138M with over 6,100 filings and China third at $61M with over 5,000 filings.  China is poised to overtake Europe for #2 within the next 12 months.

Globally, the entire wind industry has spent $522M to date on patent protection.  Expenditure on IP protection by wind companies is expected to escalate, with $1B to be spent by 2019 and $2B by 2026.

The past year has seen the penetration of some non-practicing entities (NPEs), more commonly referred to as ‘patent trolls,’ into the wind market.  These companies acquire orphaned intellectual property assets or develop their own patent portfolios specifically for the purpose of monetizing against the entrenched players in the industry.

With so many patents available for acquisition in the past 18 months, it is no surprise that these NPEs are seeing an opportunity to take advantage of market timing and attempt to drive up costs for operating companies in wind.

The full report is available here.

Article by Philip Totaro, Principal at Totaro & Associates, a consulting firm focused on innovation strategy, competitive intelligence, product development and patent search.  Article appearing courtesy Green Patent Blog.



September 22, 2014 0 comment
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Cleantech in Court: Green Patent Complaint Update

Cleantech in Court: Green Patent Complaint Update

written by Eric Lane

A number of green patent complaints have been filed in the last several months in the areas of energy management software, LEDs, smart meters, vertical axis wind turbines, and wastewater treatment.  This post covers new lawsuits filed from the end of March through the end of June.

Energy Management Software

Intercap Capital Partners, LLC  v. BuildingIQ, Inc.

On April 3, 2014, Intercap filed a patent infringement complaint against BuildingIQ in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.  Intercap asserted U.S. Patent No. 8,078,330 (’330 Patent), alleging that the BuildingIQ software of system infringes the ’330 Patent.

Entitled “Automatic energy management and energy consumption reduction, especially in commercial and multi-building systems,” the ’330 Patent is directed to methods of managing energy usage data including monitoring current energy usage of the energy consumption devices in a building, monitoring building temperature, a building humidity, a building CO2 level, a weather forecast and a real-time energy price, and initiating a real-time control of each energy consumption device based on the variables in response to a forecast that a new energy usage peak is approaching.

LEDs

Honeywell International Inc. v. Cree, Inc.

Honeywell sued major LED manufacturer Cree for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,373,188 (’188) and Reissue Patent No. RE41,685 (a reissue of U.S. Patent No. 6,666,567).

The ’188 Patent is entitled “Efficient solid-state light emitting device with excited phosphors for producing a visible light output” and directed to and LED having a phosphor layer and a reflector means adjacent to one side of the phosphor layer for reflecting some of the radiation and light emission that exits from the phosphor layer back into the phosphor layer.

The reissue patent is entitled “Light source with non-white and phosphor-based white LED devices, and LCD assembly” and relates to a light source with an LED coupled to the floor of an optical cavity to permit light to be emitted from the base of the LED and a reflective protrusion below the LED to aid in redirecting light forward.

The complaint was filed March 31, 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Koninklijke Philips N.V. et al. v. Schreder Lighting LLC et al.

Filed May 27, 2014 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Philips’ complaint asserts the following twelve LED patents:

U.S. Patent No. 6,094,014, entitled “Circuit arrangement, and signaling light provided with the circuit arrangement”

U.S. Patent No. 6,234,645, entitled “LED lighting system for producing white light”

U.S. Patent No. 6,234,648, entitled “Lighting system”

U.S. Patent No. 6,250,774, entitled “Luminaire”

U.S. Patent No. 6,513,949, entitled “LED/phosphor-LED hybrid lighting systems”

U.S. Patent No. 6,577,512, entitled “Power supply for LEDs”

U.S. Patent No. 6,586,890, entitled “LED driver circuit with PWM output”

U.S. Patent No. 6,692,136, entitled “LED/phosphor-LED hybrid lighting systems”

U.S. Patent No. 6,788,011, entitled “Multicolored LED lighting method and apparatus”

U.S. Patent No. 6,806,659, entitled “Multicolored LED lighting method and apparatus”

U.S. Patent No. 6,972,525, entitled “LED switching arrangement”

U.S. Patent No. 7,274,160, entitled “Multicolored lighting method and apparatus”

According to the complaint, Schreder’s floodlight, street-light, residential and urban area LED lighting products, including the Alura LED, FV32 LED, Hestia LED, Piano, Teceo, Akila, Isla LED, Modullum, Neos LED and Nemo brands for, infringe one or more of the asserted patents.

Smart Meters

Sensor-Tech Innovations LLC v. Texas-New Mexico Power Company

Austin, Texas-based Sensor-Tech filed a patent infringement suit against the Texas-New Mexico Power Company (TNMP) for alleged infringement of a patent related to smart meter technology.

The complaint, filed in federal court in Marshall, Texas on June 20, 2014, asserts U.S. Patent No. 6,505,086 (’086 Patent).  Entitled “XML sensor system,” the ’086 Patent is directed to a sensor sommunication system adapted to transmit a sensor data file in XML format.

According to the complaint, TNMP’s advanced metering system infringes at least three claims of the ’086 Patetn.

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines

SAWT Inc. et al. v. Joe Moore Construction Inc. et al.

On May 13, 2014 SAWT filed a complaint for patent infringement in federal court in Los Angeles.  SAWT has accused Joe Moore Construction, d/b/a Wind Sun Energy Systems and co-defendant Urban Green Energy of infringing U.S. Patent No. 7,967,569 (’569 Patent).

The ’569 Patent is entitled “Vertical shaft wind turbine and method of installing blades therein” and directed to a vertical shaft wind turbine wherein the airfoil of each turbine blade is an asymmetrical camber airfoil, each blade is installed with only the convex surface facing the vertical shaft, and a rotary angle of each blade is between 0 and 15 degrees.

The ’569 Patent is owned by co-plaintiff Shanghai Aeolus Windpower Technology; SAWT is a non-exclusive licensee.  This is an interesting one as it’s rare to see litigation over small (non-utility scale) wind turbines, particularly of the vertical axis type.

Wastewater Treatment

Chaffin v. Braden and LBC Manufacturing

Mark N. Chaffin, an individual, sued LBC Manufacturing for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,932,912, entitled “Wastewater treatment system for residential septic systems” (’912 Patent).

The ’912 Patent is directed to wastewater treatment systems and methods wherein a chlorine supply tube is in communication with a venturi chamber and in constant fluid communication a chlorine supply in a chlorine supply canister.  As recirculating pumped sewage effluent flows through the venturi chamber, chlorine from the supply canister is continuously drawn into the venturi chamber and into a recirculation pipe.

Filed April 16, 2014 in federal court in Victoria, Texas, the complaint alleges that the LBC500 liquid bleach chlorinator infringes the ’912 Patent.



July 14, 2014 0 comment
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Wind Turbine in a Blimp Can Bring Power to Remote Locations

written by Yale Environment 360

A Massachusetts company will soon deploy a portable wind energy system using a conventional turbine blade inside a cylindrical blimp that floats about 1,000 feet above the ground, drawing on the stronger winds at that altitude.

The Buoyant Airborne Turbine (BAT), developed by Altaeros, is designed to be used in off-the-grid locations where importing diesel fuel or other energy is expensive. The company recently announced a $1.3 million demonstration project in Alaska that will supply power to about a dozen homes.

Altaeros says it is also working on deals to install projects in remote locations in Canada and Australia. The BAT, made of industrial fabric, sends power back via high-strength tethers that hold it to the ground. Altaeros is one of several companies developing wind turbines that hover above the earth or fly, including Makani, which has invented a turbine that looks like a flying wing. Makani was acquired last year by Google X.



March 28, 2014 0 comment
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US Leads, Europe Second as Wind Industry Spends $430M on Patent Protection

written by Walter Wang

Utility scale wind turbines have become so technologically advanced that they have improved the cost of energy (COE) of wind enough to compete with today’s conventional energy sources. The ensuing reduction in COE has been the result of two governing forces: public policy and technological innovation.

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September 17, 2013 0 comment
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Scituate in Massachusetts is 100% Powered by Renewable Energy

written by Walter Wang

With the inauguration of a 3 MW solar power station, Scituate (MA) became the first town in Commonwealth to get 100 percent of its power from alternative energy sources.

The project was developed by Gehrlicher Solar America, which earlier in 2013 opened a regional

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July 31, 2013 0 comment
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Battery-Equipped Wind Turbine Better Integrates Green Energy Onto Grid

written by Yale Environment 360

General Electric recently introduced a wind turbine equipped with a storage battery, creating a type of “hybrid” turbine that industry leaders hope will improve the integration of intermittent energy sources onto the grid and reduce the costs of wind power.

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May 8, 2013 0 comment
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A2SEA’s Offshore Wind Turbine Installer Does the Heavy Lifting

written by Walter Wang

One of the major trends in wind power is ever larger turbines for offshore use. This raises many technical challenges, including how to transport and install such large components at offshore sites.

A2SEA is a Danish company that has expertise in precisely these challenges and has developed technology for it. The company’s Sea Installer is a

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May 3, 2013 0 comment
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GE Tests High-Efficiency Wind Turbine in the Netherlands

written by Walter Wang

General Electric recently announced it had started testing the prototype of what it calls the world’s most efficient high-output wind turbine. The new 2.5-120 is being tested in Wieringermeer, Netherlands.

The 2.5-120 harnesses the power of the Industrial Internet to analyze tens of thousands of data points

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April 29, 2013 0 comment
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Groundbreaking Research Identifies IP Arms Race in Wind

written by Walter Wang

A new research report published at EWEA 2013 by consultancy Totaro & Associates has catalogued over 27,500 global patent filings related to horizontal-axis, utility-scale wind turbine technology. Totaro & Associates CEO and Principal, Philip Totaro says that, “We estimate there are ~45,000 to 50,000 global filings in total, and we are continuing our research to catalogue and

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February 8, 2013 0 comment
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New Wind Turbine Design Holds Great Promise

written by Walter Wang

One of the business plans I support is a breakthrough in wind turbine construction, essentially rooted on getting the same production as today’s design, while using significantly less materials, thus cutting costs substantially. But in my quest to help them raise the investment capital they need to move forward, I’m running into investors who are unsure of

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November 7, 2012 1 comment
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Wilkins Wins Wind Patents as Court Tentatively Finds GE SOL

written by Walter Wang

In previous posts here and here I discussed a companion lawsuit to the major GE-Mitsubishi wind patent litigation in which GE and a former employee are fighting over the rights to certain wind turbine technology.

In that suit, filed in the Eastern District of California, GE accused Thomas Wilkins, an electrical engineer

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October 30, 2012 0 comment
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Making Cleantech “Totally Beautiful”

written by Susan Gladwin

Most people would agree that developing clean, renewable sources of energy is an ecologically sound proposition. The images of pristine power derived from the sun are inherently beautiful. But what if that new wind turbine is constructed of components that cannot be recycled? And what if that hydroturbine contains toxic materials that pollute the water? Suddenly that cleantech product isn’t looking like part of the solution: it’s looking like part of the problem. And that is not beautiful at all.

For example, when aging wind turbines are replaced by newer-generation models, what happens to those old turbines? This is a problem that wind farms nationwide will have to deal with at some point. Solano County, California, to name one location, recently replaced 235 old 100-kilowatt turbines remaining from a wind farm installed in 1989.

While many parts from the old turbines can be reused or sold for scrap, much of it cannot. The parts that can’t be salvaged include the fiberglass blades, which require “special landfilling,” as do the parts that are coated with hydraulic fluid and would cost more to clean than their salvage value. The result? More contributions to the 175 million tons of landfill that the United States generates each year.

As for that hydroturbine: the first thing people want to know before you drop something into their water system is whether or not it will contaminate their water. Ten million tons of toxic chemicals are released into our environment by industries each year, of which over 2 million tons per year are recognized carcinogens.

Clearly, materials choices matter for cleantech companies if they want to be part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Fortunately, eco-impact analysis software is allowing companies to make more informed choices about the materials they put into their products.

For example, Freiezo, a Missouri-based supplier of residential and commercial wind power systems, is taking advantage of this type of software to develop a turbine that is close to 99 percent recyclable—bringing them extremely close to their goal of being a zero landfill manufacturer.

Meanwhile, Washington-based Hydrovolts, mentioned in my last posting, is a manufacturer of micro hydropower turbines that run in constructed waterways (such as irrigation canals and water aqueducts).

They have used software to examine the environmental profiles of different materials—say, fiberglass vs. aluminum—before they use them to construct a turbine, and create an environmental footprint for each design option. As a result, Hydrovolts doesn’t just make a product that makes the world a better place by generating clean energy—they ensure that the product itself was designed with sustainability in mind.

As the UK-based sustainability guru Edwin Datschefski notes in his book The Total Beauty of Sustainable Products, “[a product] can’t really represent the pinnacle of mankind’s genius if it is made using polluting methods.” By using tools that help them pay attention to the materials that they put in their products, cleantech companies are taking a step closer to being “totally beautiful.”

Article by Susan Gladwin who leads the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, which provides emerging cleantech companies powerful software and opportunities to help them develop solutions that address our most pressing environmental issues. In North America, Europe, Japan and Singapore, the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program offers $150,000 of Autodesk software for $50 to qualified clean tech innovators.



July 26, 2012 0 comment
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Winga E-Generator Harnesses Energy from Low Wind Speeds

written by Walter Wang

OrganoWorld, a company based in Montreal, Canada, has developed a wind turbine able to harness energy at low wind speeds.

Concerned about the effects of global climate change, chemical engineer Frederick Churchill began to explore the use of wind energy. He carried

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June 12, 2012 2 comments
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WindCharger Enters Mexican Market

written by Walter Wang

Mexico is set to have more small wind generation thanks to the arrival of Sauer Energy’s WindCharger vertical-axis wind turbine. The company yesterday announced it has teamed up with ENRCOM, a specialist in telecom networks and rural power plants, to instal its wind power system on an ENRCOM test site in Mexico.

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June 7, 2012 2 comments
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