HVDC Transmission for Offshore Platforms Patent Landscape
HVDC Transmission for Offshore Platforms Patent Landscape in 2026
The HVDC transmission for offshore platforms space is in a confirmed growth stage, with annual filings rising substantially over the review window and the United States serving as the dominant filing jurisdiction. General Electric and its affiliated entities collectively dominate the corpus, creating a concentrated top tier well ahead of challengers such as Siemens Energy and ABB.
General Electric leads a concentrated field with a clear tier gap
General Electric Co holds the top position among all applicants with 23 patent records, placing it well clear of the next-ranked entities. When its affiliated entities — General Electric Tech GmbH and GE Infrastructure Tech LLC — are considered alongside the parent, the GE cluster accounts for a substantial share of the leading positions in the ranking.
The top five filers account for 37% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signalling a moderately concentrated field. Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG, Alstom Tech Ltd, and ABB Res Ltd each occupy the mid-tier with 11–12 patent records apiece, leaving a measurable gap between the GE cluster and the broader challenger group.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Electric Company | 23 | |
| 2 | General Electric Technology GmbH | 16 | |
| 3 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 12 | |
| 4 | Alstom Technology Ltd | 11 | |
| 5 | ABB Research Ltd | 11 | |
| 6 | Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC | 10 | |
| 7 | J. Ray McDermott S.A. | 9 | |
| 8 | Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult | 8 | |
| 9 | ABB (Schweiz) AG | 8 | |
| 10 | GE Infrastructure Technology LLC | 8 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Hitachi Energy Ltd | 8 | |
| 12 | Aker Solutions AS | 6 | |
| 13 | Siemens AG | 6 | |
| 14 | GAMESA INNOVATION & TECH SL | 5 | |
| 15 | Zhejiang University | 4 | |
| 16 | Alpha Perisai Sdn Bhd | 3 | |
| 17 | ABB Technology AG | 3 | |
| 18 | Aeloiza Eddy C | 2 | |
| 19 | Ng Chong Hwa | 2 | |
| 20 | Tremelling Darren D | 2 |
The depth of GE’s position across grid systems and power conversion branches, combined with new-entrant momentum from its affiliated entities, suggests the group is actively expanding rather than defending a legacy position. Challengers wishing to close the gap face a well-resourced incumbent that spans both system architecture and converter topology.
Filings from the most recent 18–24 months are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication lag; the apparent plateau in 2024–2026 data should not be read as a levelling of actual inventive activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sustained filing growth with power supply and conversion dominating the technology mix
Annual filing volume has grown materially over the review window, and the technology composition reveals a field centred on grid integration and AC/DC conversion, with wind turbine integration and protective circuits as meaningful secondary branches.
Annual filing trend
Filings were negligible in 2017, climbed through 2018–2021, and accelerated into the 2022–2024 band reaching a recorded peak of 14 in 2023. The 2025 and 2026 tallies of 2 and 1 respectively reflect publication lag rather than a real decline and should be treated as provisional undercounts.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H02J (power supply and grid systems) is the dominant branch by a wide margin, reflecting the central challenge of integrating offshore HVDC links into onshore grids. H02M (power conversion — AC/DC) is the second-largest branch, consistent with the converter-heavy nature of HVDC terminal equipment. F03D (wind motors and wind turbines) ranks third, confirming that offshore wind is the primary application driver. H02H (protective circuit arrangements) and H02B (switchboards and substations) each occupy smaller but distinct shares, pointing to growing attention to fault management and offshore substation hardware.
↗ 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.
High voltage direct current (HVDC) converter syste…
A high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter system includes a line commutated converter (LCC) configured to convert a plurality of AC voltages and currents to a regulated DC voltage of one of positive and negative polarity and a DC current transmitted in only one direction. The HVDC converter system also includes a buck converter configured to convert a… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DC connection scheme for windfarm with internal MV… | 196 |
| 2 | Modular stacked subsea power system architectures | 134 |
| 3 | Modular stacked subsea power system architectures | 94 |
| 4 | Control and protection of a DC power grid | 81 |
| 5 | Hybrid 2-level and multilevel HVDC converter | 77 |
| 6 | High voltage direct current (HVDC) converter syste… | 64 |
| 7 | A power collection and distribution system | 46 |
| 8 | Method of controlling the power input to a HVDC tr… | 45 |
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 competitive structure means for R&D strategy
The combination of confirmed growth, an incumbent-led concentration pattern, and an absence of recorded co-filing activity defines both the opportunity and the risk profile for new entrants and challengers in this space.
Growth stage with rising annual volume
The field is classified at the Growth stage. Annual filings have risen substantially over the review window, and the 171% recent-window growth figure confirms that inventive activity is accelerating rather than plateauing. New entrants and challengers should expect the competitive baseline to keep rising, making early positioning in under-served branches more valuable than late-cycle moves into crowded core areas.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a dominant GE cluster
The top five filers hold 37% of the combined total among the hundred largest filers — a level of concentration that is meaningful but not extreme. However, the GE family of entities (General Electric Co, General Electric Tech GmbH, GE Infrastructure Tech LLC) forms an effective cluster that outpaces any single challenger by a significant margin. Mid-tier players such as Siemens Energy, Alstom Tech, and ABB each hold comparable positions that could serve as consolidation anchors.
Moderate concentrationNo recorded co-filing activity identified
The collaboration data in the current evidence set contains no recorded co-applicant filing pairs for this topic. This absence may reflect the commercially sensitive nature of HVDC system IP or simply the limited corpus size. The lack of visible joint filings means that consortium or joint-development agreements, if any exist, are not currently surfacing in patent records — a gap worth monitoring as offshore wind grid interconnection projects scale up.
Evidence pendingUS and EPO are the primary filing hubs
The United States leads all jurisdictions with 51 patent records, followed closely by Europe via the EPO with 46. WIPO PCT filings number 24, indicating applicants are seeking broad international coverage. Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom each hold secondary positions. China accounts for only 4 patent records — notably low given the country’s offshore wind ambitions — suggesting either a strategic decision to file elsewhere or a gap in this corpus.
US & EPO ledGo 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.
General Electric cluster leads; Siemens Energy and ABB form a competitive mid-tier
The top of the ranking is occupied by the GE family of entities, with affiliated new entrants adding momentum. Siemens Energy, Alstom Tech, and ABB cluster tightly in the 11–12 patent record range, forming a credible second tier.
General Electric Co
General Electric Co leads with 23 patent records and concentrates its filings on H02J (power supply and grid systems) and H02M (power conversion — AC/DC), reflecting a full-stack approach from grid integration to converter topology. Its affiliated entity General Electric Tech GmbH has entered the ranking as a new entrant with 16 patent records, while GE Infrastructure Tech LLC adds a further 8 patent records also as a new entrant — collectively making the GE cluster the dominant force in this space.
patent records: 23Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG
Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG holds 12 patent records and distinguishes itself from GE by a broader technology spread that includes F03D (wind turbines) and H02H (protective circuit arrangements) alongside the dominant H02J grid systems branch. This wider footprint suggests an integration-oriented strategy spanning turbine control, grid connection, and fault protection — a differentiated position relative to the GE cluster’s converter-heavy emphasis.
patent records: 12| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| General Electric Technology GmbH | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| GE Infrastructure Technology LLC | 7 | ▲ new entrant |
| Aker Solutions AS | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches worth watching
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H02J/H02M core show low filing counts relative to their technical relevance to offshore HVDC deployment. These are observations of relative sparsity; whether they represent actionable opportunities depends on an organisation’s existing capabilities and strategic fit.
H02H · Protective circuit arrangements
With only 12 patent records and a 4% share of IPC classifications, fault detection and protection for offshore HVDC links is sparse relative to the core grid-systems branch. DC fault management — including fast disconnection, selective protection, and coordination between onshore and offshore terminals — is a known engineering challenge for HVDC grids. Siemens Energy is the only top-tier filer showing H02H activity, leaving space for challengers with power-electronics protection expertise to establish positions.
Search this in Eureka →H02B · Power switchboards & substations
H02B (power switchboards and substations) accounts for only 11 patent records and a 3% share, despite offshore HVDC substations being a capital-intensive and technically complex component of any offshore wind interconnect. Compact, weight-optimised, and marinised DC switchgear for platform integration is an area where filing activity is thin. Organisations with subsea or topside substation hardware expertise and limited prior IP exposure could find relatively open ground here.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H02J 3 · Power supply & grid systems | H02M 7 · Power conversion (AC/DC etc.) | H02M 1 · Power conversion (AC/DC etc.) | H02M 5 · Power conversion (AC/DC etc.) | H02M 3 · Power conversion (AC/DC etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Electric Company | Strong · 16 | Strong · 12 | Strong · 11 | Moderate · 5 | Absent |
| Alstom Technology Ltd | Strong · 10 | Strong · 11 | Strong · 6 | Absent | Moderate · 5 |
| ABB Research Ltd | Strong · 16 | Moderate · 6 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 7 |
| General Electric Technology GmbH | Strong · 10 | Moderate · 5 | Moderate · 3 | Absent | Emerging · 2 |
| J. Ray McDermott S.A. | Strong · 8 | Strong · 8 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission PLC | Strong · 10 | Absent | Emerging · 2 | Absent | Absent |
| Siemens AG | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 2 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current corpus contains 63 patent families in scope. This figure covers the global filing activity captured in the evidence set and should be treated as a floor given that recent-year filings are still emerging from publication lag.
General Electric Co holds the top position with 23 patent records. When affiliated entities General Electric Tech GmbH (16 patent records) and GE Infrastructure Tech LLC (8 patent records) are included, the GE cluster is the dominant force in the ranking by a substantial margin.
The United States leads with 51 patent records, followed by Europe via the EPO with 46 and WIPO PCT with 24. Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom each hold secondary positions. China accounts for only 4 patent records despite being a major offshore wind market.
The field is classified at the Growth stage. Annual filings have risen substantially, with a 171% growth rate over the recent window. The recorded peak year is 2023 with 14 filings; the drop in 2025 and 2026 data reflects publication lag rather than a real decline.
H02J (power supply and grid systems) is the dominant branch with 152 patent records across the corpus, reflecting the centrality of grid integration challenges. H02M (power conversion — AC/DC) is second with 86 records. F03D (wind turbines) is third with 22 records, confirming offshore wind as the primary application driver.
Two adjacent branches show sparse coverage relative to their technical importance: H02H (protective circuit arrangements) with 12 patent records and H02B (power switchboards and substations) with 11 patent records. Offshore HVDC fault protection and compact offshore substation hardware are both active engineering challenges with limited corresponding patent activity, making them areas worth monitoring for potential white space.
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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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