Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape 2026
Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape in 2026
Green hydrogen is a growth-stage field with 14,031 patent families in scope, dominated by electrolytic production (C25B) and anchored by a small cluster of European and Japanese institutions. Annual filings nearly doubled over the review period, and the top five applicants account for 39% of activity among the leading filers, signalling meaningful but not monopolistic concentration.
CEA and Haldor Topsoe lead a concentrated but not closed field
The Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) holds the top position with 1,121 patent families, closely followed by Haldor Topsoe with 1,087 patent families. Honda Motor, De Nora Permelec, and Toshiba complete the top five, with all five together representing 39% of activity among the ranked leading filers.
The gap between the first and fifth-ranked applicants spans roughly 570 patent families, indicating a discernible but not overwhelming tier separation. A second cluster — including Morimura SOFC Tech, Asahi Kasei, Industrie De Nora, Panasonic Intellectual Property Management, and Bloom Energy — sits within 500–600 patent families of the leader, keeping the competitive space genuinely contested.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COMMISSARIAT A LENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES A… | 1,121 | |
| 2 | HALDOR TOPSOE AS | 1,087 | |
| 3 | HONDA MOTOR CO LTD | 593 | |
| 4 | DE NORA PERMELEC LTD | 584 | |
| 5 | KK TOSHIBA | 551 | |
| 6 | MORIMURA SOFC TECH CO LTD | 538 | |
| 7 | ASAHI KASEI KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA | 511 | |
| 8 | INDUSTRIE DE NORA SPA | 490 | |
| 9 | PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD | 481 | |
| 10 | BLOOM ENERGY CORP | 457 | |
| 11 | DANMARKS TEKNISKE UNIV | 416 | |
| 12 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 413 | |
| 13 | TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK | 413 | |
| 14 | MITSUBISHI HEAVY IND LTD | 403 | |
| 15 | TOSHIBA ENERGY SYST & SOLUTIONS CORP | 392 | |
| 16 | ROBERT BOSCH GMBH | 378 | |
| 17 | CERES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMPANY LIMITED | 358 | |
| 18 | HUANENG CLEAN ENERGY RES INST | 332 | |
| 19 | DALIAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS CHINESE ACADE… | 325 | |
| 20 | KYOCERA CORP | 307 |
The leaders’ positions reflect deep, sustained investment in electrolyzer cell design and process chemistry, suggesting that late entrants face a meaningful prior-art density in core electrolysis routes, while adjacent application areas (grid integration, downstream chemical synthesis, bioreactor-based production) remain comparatively open.
Counts reflect patent families, the primary size measure used throughout this analysis; one family consolidates filings for the same invention across jurisdictions. Applicant ranking counts are also at the patent-family level. Because the most recent 18–24 months are under-counted due to publication lag, the 2024–2026 figures in the trend chart understate true activity.
Filing volumes have surged since 2020 and the technology mix is electrolysis-heavy
Two charts capture the pace and shape of green hydrogen innovation: an annual filing trend from 2017 onward and a breakdown of technology branches by IPC class. Together they show a field that accelerated sharply after 2020 and is structurally anchored in electrochemical production.
Annual filing trend
Filings grew from 794 families in 2017 to a recorded peak of 2,747 in 2023, a trajectory consistent with the 96% recent-growth figure. The apparent drop in 2024 and near-absence in 2025–2026 are artefacts of publication lag — those years are substantially under-counted and should not be read as a real decline. The inflection after 2020 coincides with accelerating national hydrogen strategies and falling electrolyzer costs.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is the dominant branch by a wide margin, reflecting the centrality of water electrolysis to green hydrogen pathways. H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) forms a substantial secondary cluster, covering the fuel-cell end-use side. C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds, including hydrogen gas itself) and B01J (catalysis and chemical/physical processes) represent meaningful but lower-volume adjacent branches. The remaining branches each contribute smaller shares, highlighting how concentrated the core technology space is.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaFoundational and most-cited patents
The most-cited families that anchor this space — hover a row and click to open it in Eureka.
HYDROGEN PRODUCTION UNIT HAVING SOLID OXIDE ELECTR…
A green hydrogen production unit may have at least one solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) to generate hydrogen gas from water by electrolysis. A green power supply may be coupled to the at least one SOEC. A green back-up power supply may be coupled to the at least one SOEC. (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrochemical production of ozone and hydrogen p… | 586 |
| 2 | Electrolytic cell for hydrogen peroxide production… | 409 |
| 3 | Materials and configurations for scalable microbia… | 372 |
| 4 | Low cost bipolar current collector-separator for e… | 349 |
| 5 | Optimizing photovoltaic-electrolyzer efficiency | 322 |
| 6 | Deposition of catalytic electrodes on ion-exchange… | 284 |
| 7 | Battery charging using a transformer with a single… | 280 |
| 8 | Methods and devices for the production of Hydrocar… | 265 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts accrue over time, so this list favours older, broadly-cited patents and may include general-purpose work beyond the specific topic; treat it as foundational context rather than a current-activity ranking.
What the competitive structure means for R&D strategy
The concentration pattern, collaboration network, geographic footprint, and lifecycle stage each carry distinct strategic implications for teams deciding where to build, partner, or monitor.
Growth stage with a dense core and expanding periphery
Annual filings are still rising — up roughly 96% over the review period — placing the field firmly in a growth lifecycle stage. The core electrolysis branches (C25B, H01M) carry high prior-art density, raising freedom-to-operate risk for incremental entry. Peripheral branches such as grid integration (H02J), downstream synthesis (C01C, C10G), and marine propulsion (B63H) are earlier in their patent accumulation curves and present lower crowding.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a meaningful second tier
The top five ranked applicants hold 39% of activity among leading filers, which is concentrated but not exclusionary. A second tier of five to ten applicants trails by a manageable gap, meaning the competitive landscape is genuinely multi-polar rather than dominated by a single incumbent. New entrants with differentiated technology routes — particularly in membrane materials, catalyst design, or system integration — can realistically build distinct IP positions.
Multi-polarDe Nora Permelec anchors the most active co-filing network
The most active co-filing pair is Toshiba and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions (113 joint families), reflecting an internal corporate restructuring pattern. De Nora Permelec is the most networked external collaborator, co-filing with Yokohama National University (95 families), Kawasaki Heavy Industries (56), Kyoto University (25), and thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers (14). CEA co-files with CNRS (10 families), the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse (8), and TotalEnergies (7). Honda co-files with JSR Corporation (8 families). This network structure suggests that electrode and membrane specialists are the preferred partnering targets.
Electrode-centred networkUS and EPO are the primary protection jurisdictions; Asia underrepresented
Patent records are most concentrated in the United States, Europe (EPO), and WIPO (PCT), with Australia and Canada forming a secondary tier. Japan and China show comparatively low record counts in this corpus, which is notable given the prominence of Japanese applicants in the top-applicant ranking — suggesting some applicants file primarily via national routes not fully captured here. South Korea and India each have minimal coverage in these records, pointing to potential gaps in multi-jurisdictional protection strategy for filers targeting those markets.
US-EPO dominantGo 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.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Toshiba Corporation | Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation | 113 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | Yokohama National University | 95 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. | 56 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | Kyoto University | 25 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers GmbH | 14 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | 10 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | Aquahydrex Pty Ltd | 10 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse | 8 |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | JSR Corporation | 8 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | TotalEnergies Onetech | 7 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
CEA and Haldor Topsoe lead, with Bloom Energy and Siemens Energy accelerating sharply
The top two applicants are separated by fewer than 40 patent families, making the overall lead genuinely competitive. Momentum data reveals that several mid-ranked players are growing their positions at rates that could reshape the ranking within a few years.
Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA)
CEA holds 1,121 patent families, the largest portfolio in scope. Its technology focus spans fuel cells (H01M 8), electrolyzer cell design (C25B 9), and electrolytic hydrogen production (C25B 1), indicating coverage across both production and conversion ends of the value chain. Recent momentum is positive at +72% versus the prior three-year period, and CEA co-files actively with CNRS, the Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, and TotalEnergies, extending its reach into academic and industrial partner networks.
patent families: 1,121Bloom Energy Corporation
Bloom Energy ranks tenth with 457 patent families but shows the most dramatic momentum in the dataset at 11× versus its prior three-year period — though this jump reflects a comparatively small prior base and should be read cautiously. Its technology emphasis spans solid oxide fuel cells (H01M 8) and electrolytic production (C25B 1 and C25B 9), consistent with its commercial focus on solid oxide electrolyzer and fuel cell systems. This trajectory warrants close monitoring regardless of absolute portfolio size.
patent families: 457| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Haldor Topsoe A/S | 163 | ▲ +50% |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 98 | ▲ +72% |
| Bloom Energy Corporation | 203 | ▲ 11× vs prior 3-yr |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | 29 | ▼ -63% |
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | 53 | ▼ -42% |
| Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | 67 | ▼ -42% |
| Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 60 | ▲ +82% |
| Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG | 166 | ▲ 5.5× vs prior 3-yr |
Under-served branches adjacent to the electrolysis core
The white-space candidates below are IPC branches with comparatively lower patent-record counts relative to the dominant C25B cluster. They are observations of relative sparsity; only those with plausible technical value and a realistic entry path are framed as potential opportunities.
B01D · Separation processes (filtration, membranes)
With 1,524 patent records, membrane separation is a meaningful but under-served branch relative to core electrolysis volumes. High-purity hydrogen requires efficient gas separation and membrane durability under operating conditions — both active engineering challenges. Applicants with expertise in polymer membranes or ceramic separators could build differentiated positions here. The branch sits directly upstream of end-use purity requirements, giving it clear technical relevance and a realistic entry path for materials or process chemistry specialists.
Search this in Eureka →C02F · Water and wastewater treatment
C02F accounts for 894 patent records, representing sparsity in the water-feed preparation layer that is essential for large-scale electrolysis. Electrolyzer performance is sensitive to feedwater quality; scaling, ionic contamination, and deionisation efficiency are practical constraints. This branch is technically adjacent to C25B but receives substantially less IP attention, suggesting that water pre-treatment optimised specifically for electrolyzer feed could support a focused filing programme for teams with process water or industrial water treatment backgrounds.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ in technology emphasis across electrolysis sub-classes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | C25B 1 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 9 · Electrolytic production of compounds | H01M 8 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C25B 11 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 15 · Electrolytic production of compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Strong — 248 | Strong — 289 | Strong — 312 | Absent | Moderate — 150 |
| Haldor Topsoe A/S | Strong — 317 | Strong — 189 | Moderate — 109 | Absent | Strong — 165 |
| Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. | Strong — 168 | Strong — 194 | Moderate — 85 | Strong — 103 | Moderate — 69 |
| Bloom Energy Corporation | Strong — 160 | Strong — 157 | Strong — 168 | Absent | Strong — 118 |
| Asahi Kasei Corporation | Strong — 144 | Strong — 190 | Absent | Moderate — 89 | Strong — 121 |
| De Nora Permelec Ltd. | Strong — 174 | Strong — 134 | Absent | Strong — 160 | Moderate — 70 |
| Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG | Strong — 167 | Strong — 118 | Absent | Absent | Strong — 121 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 14,031 patent families. This is the primary size measure used throughout the analysis; one family consolidates filings for the same invention across multiple jurisdictions.
The Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) holds the largest portfolio with 1,121 patent families, closely followed by Haldor Topsoe with 1,087 patent families.
C25B (electrolytic production of compounds) is the dominant branch, reflecting the centrality of water electrolysis. H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) forms a substantial secondary cluster on the end-use side.
Yes — the field is in a growth lifecycle stage. Annual filings rose from 794 families in 2017 to 2,747 recorded in 2023, a trajectory underpinned by a 96% recent-growth figure. Apparent drops in 2024–2026 data reflect publication lag, not a real decline.
Bloom Energy shows the sharpest momentum at 11× its prior three-year period, though this comes from a comparatively small prior base. Siemens Energy Global is growing at 5.5× its prior three-year period. CEA (+72%) and Honda Motor (+82%) are also accelerating among larger incumbents.
At the patent-record level, the United States carries the highest count, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). Australia and Canada form a secondary tier. Japan and China show comparatively low record counts in this corpus despite prominent Japanese applicants in the rankings.
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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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