Floating Wind Turbine for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape
Floating Wind Turbine for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape in 2026
The floating wind turbine for green hydrogen field is highly concentrated, with Subsea 7 entities collectively dominating the 30-patent-family corpus as new entrants across the board. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, though annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak and the most recent years remain understated by publication lag.
Subsea 7 entities lead a nascent, heavily concentrated field
Subsea 7 Ltd ranks first among all filers with 8 patent families, followed immediately by its affiliate Subsea 7 Norway AS with 6 patent families, making the Subsea 7 group the dominant force in this technology space.
The top five filers account for 79% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers, a concentration level that signals a very early-stage market where a single corporate group has established a structural lead before broader industry participation.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subsea 7 Ltd | 8 | |
| 2 | Subsea 7 Norway AS | 6 | |
| 3 | Innovator Energy LLC | 4 | |
| 4 | Dehlsen Associates of the Pacific Ltd | 2 | |
| 5 | KOREA INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | 2 | |
| 6 | SIA Yik Hei | 2 | |
| 7 | National Institute of Technology Manipur | 1 | |
| 8 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | |
| 9 | University of Massachusetts | 1 | |
| 10 | Westgen Energy LLC | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that any entrant seeking to compete will need to navigate claims already staked across wind turbine mechanics, marine vessel integration, and ship auxiliaries — the three highest-volume IPC branches in this corpus.
Filing counts for 2024 and beyond are materially understated due to typical patent publication lag of 18–24 months and should not be interpreted as a slowdown in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Filings surged from 2021 to 2023; technology mix spans wind, marine, and hydrogen subsystems
The annual filing trend reveals a field that emerged from near-zero activity before 2020 and the technology composition shows that wind turbine and marine vessel classes dominate, with electrolysis and water treatment classes forming a secondary but strategically important tier.
Annual filing trend
Zero filings were recorded through 2019, followed by a sharp ramp: 1 family in 2020, 4 in 2021, 10 in 2022, and a peak of 13 in 2023. The apparent drop to 2 in 2024 and zero in 2025–2026 reflects publication lag and should not be read as a real contraction.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F03D (wind motors) and B63B (ships and marine vessels) are the two largest branches, reflecting the dual engineering challenge of the technology. C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, i.e. water electrolysis for hydrogen) and C02F (water and wastewater treatment, relevant to seawater desalination pre-treatment) appear at lower volumes, indicating that the hydrogen production subsystem is less patented than the offshore platform and turbine components.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Offshore green hydrogen production system integrat…
An apparatus integrated with floating offshore wind power for producing offshore green hydrogen, according to one embodiment, comprises: an offshore wind power generator; a hydrogen production system for producing hydrogen by using seawater; a control unit for controlling at least one portion of the hydrogen production system; and a power source unit for… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power generating windbags and waterbags | 28 |
| 2 | Wind and wave desalination vessel | 28 |
| 3 | Mobile floating offshore wind energy system | 10 |
| 4 | Brine power | 10 |
| 5 | Wind and wave desalination vessel | 6 |
| 6 | Apparatus and method | 2 |
| 7 | 一种适用于海上漂浮式风机的电解水制氢系统及方法 | 1 |
| 8 | Mounting equipment on wind turbine structures | 1 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the patent structure means for R&D investment decisions
The combination of a Growth life-cycle stage, extreme concentration among a handful of new entrants, the absence of recorded co-filing partnerships, and a UK-led jurisdiction profile shapes the strategic options available to teams entering this space.
Early Growth stage — field still expanding from a near-zero base
The lifecycle is classified as Growth: the recent three-year filing window sits well above the prior three-year window, representing a 400% increase. Annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak, consistent with normal publication lag rather than saturation. Teams entering now face an early competitive window before the field consolidates.
Growth stageSingle corporate group holds structural lead; few barriers yet from ecosystem breadth
The top five filers account for 79% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers. Subsea 7 Ltd and Subsea 7 Norway AS together hold the majority of that share. This concentration in a field of only 30 patent families means that meaningful coverage can be attained with a focused filing program, but Subsea 7’s head start in wind turbine mechanics and marine integration will need to be navigated carefully.
High concentrationNo co-applicant filings detected — ecosystem partnerships have not yet formed
The collaboration evidence shows no recorded co-filing activity in this corpus. This absence may reflect the technology’s early stage, where individual companies are staking foundational claims independently before cross-sector partnerships (e.g. between wind OEMs and electrolyzer manufacturers) coalesce. It also represents an opening for organizations that can form such alliances first.
No co-filingsUK leads filings; US and PCT are secondary; Asian offices underrepresented
The United Kingdom registers the highest patent record count, followed by the United States and WIPO PCT filings. Europe via the EPO, Australia, Canada, Germany, India, and South Korea each appear at low single-digit counts. The limited presence at the EPO and sparse Asian filings suggest that comprehensive global protection has not yet been pursued by most filers, leaving potential freedom to operate in those regions for new entrants.
UK-led, limited global coverageGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Subsea 7 dominates through two affiliated entities with distinct technology emphases
The top two filers are affiliated companies within the Subsea 7 group, yet they patent distinct technical subsystems — one focused on wind turbine mechanics and the other on marine vessel and ship auxiliary integration.
Subsea 7 Ltd
Subsea 7 Ltd leads with 8 patent families and entered as a new entrant with all recent filings concentrated in F03D 13 and F03D 80 (wind turbine structural and auxiliary systems) and E04G 3 (scaffolding and access structures). This focus on the turbine installation and structural interface layer positions the entity as the primary rights holder for wind turbine mechanics in this niche.
families: 8Subsea 7 Norway AS
Subsea 7 Norway AS holds 6 patent families and also entered as a new entrant, concentrating its coverage in B63B 22 and B63B 75 (floating marine structures) and B63J 3 (ship auxiliaries related to fuel and power management). This marine vessel and offshore platform emphasis is complementary to, and distinct from, its UK affiliate’s turbine-side portfolio, creating a combined group position that spans both major engineering domains of the technology.
families: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Subsea 7 Ltd | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Subsea 7 Norway AS | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Innovator Energy LLC | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| SIA Yik Hei | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| INNOVATOR ENERGY | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| University of Massachusetts | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in electrolysis, water treatment, and power integration
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant wind and marine classes are sparsely represented in this corpus, and two in particular combine plausible technical value with realistic entry paths for specialized teams.
C25B · Electrolytic production of compounds (water electrolysis for hydrogen)
With only 4 patent records and a 6% share among the top filers, the electrolyzer subsystem — the core hydrogen-producing component in any floating wind-to-hydrogen system — is the most underprotected major technical layer. Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology is the only ranked applicant with explicit C25B focus. Teams with electrolyzer design or seawater-tolerant membrane expertise could establish early IP positions in a subsystem that every floating hydrogen producer will require, with entry through PCT or EPO filings to maximize geographic reach.
Search this in Eureka →H02J · Power supply and grid systems (offshore electrical integration)
Only 3 patent records appear in H02J, representing 4% of the corpus, yet power conditioning, DC collection, and grid or ammonia-vessel off-take interfaces are engineering-critical for any commercial floating wind hydrogen project. No single ranked applicant concentrates in this branch. Power electronics or offshore cable specialists could address a genuine technical gap, and the sparse existing coverage suggests low risk of blocking rights for new entrants pursuing this angle.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route across wind, marine, and hydrogen subsystems
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | F03D 13 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | F03D 80 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | B63J 3 · Ship auxiliaries | B63B 22 · Ships & marine vessels | B63B 75 · Ships & marine vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subsea 7 Norway AS | Absent | Absent | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 |
| Subsea 7 Ltd | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology | Strong · 2 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| National Institute of Technology Manipur | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| University of Massachusetts | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Absent | Strong · 1 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Dehlsen Associates of the Pacific Ltd | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 30 patent families in scope. This is a small but fast-growing body of prior art, with essentially no filings before 2020 and a peak of 13 families filed in 2023.
Subsea 7 Ltd leads with 8 patent families, followed by Subsea 7 Norway AS with 6. Innovator Energy LLC holds 4, while Dehlsen Associates of the Pacific Ltd, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, and SIA Yik Hei each hold 2. All recorded filers entered as new entrants within the recent filing window.
The top five filers account for 79% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers. This is very high concentration for a 30-family corpus and reflects the technology’s early stage, where a small number of specialist offshore engineering firms have moved first.
The United Kingdom leads with 10 patent records, followed by the United States with 8 and WIPO PCT with 5. Europe via the EPO shows only 2 records, and several jurisdictions including Australia, Canada, Germany, India, and South Korea each appear once, indicating limited global protection breadth among most filers so far.
The field is classified as Growth. The recent three-year filing window exceeds the prior three-year window by 400%. Annual volume has eased from its 2023 peak, but the most recent years are further understated by publication lag, so the underlying activity level is likely higher than raw 2024–2026 counts suggest.
The hydrogen production subsystem (C25B, electrolytic production) and power integration layer (H02J, power supply and grid systems) are the most sparsely covered branches relative to their technical importance. C25B holds only 4 patent records and H02J only 3, and neither is claimed by the dominant Subsea 7 entities, leaving room for electrolyzer specialists and power electronics firms to establish early positions.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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