Microgrid Control for Building Energy Patent Landscape 2026
Microgrid Control for Building Energy Patent Landscape in 2026
This is a narrow, highly concentrated space: 28 patent families on record, with a single firm — DMK Nano LLC — accounting for a dominant share of the corpus and the top five filers collectively holding 56% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. The United States is the primary filing jurisdiction, and annual volume has plateaued near its peak, signalling a maturing but still active field with meaningful adjacent branches yet to be developed.
DMK Nano LLC leads a compact, US-centric field
DMK Nano LLC ranks first with 10 patent records, more than double the next-closest applicants. Span IO Inc, North Carolina State University, Innovation Asset Collective, Pila Energy Inc, and Robert Bosch (combined US and German entities) each hold three to four patent records, forming a thin second tier.
The top five filers account for 56% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, reflecting strong concentration for such a small corpus. The gap between the leader and the second tier is particularly pronounced, suggesting DMK Nano LLC has built a structurally defensible position relative to current rivals.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DMK Nano LLC | 10 | |
| 2 | Span IO Inc | 4 | |
| 3 | North Carolina State University | 3 | |
| 4 | Innovation Asset Collective | 3 | |
| 5 | Pila Energy Inc | 3 | |
| 6 | Robert Bosch Corp | 3 | |
| 7 | Robert Bosch GmbH | 2 | |
| 8 | Total Solar International | 2 | |
| 9 | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. | 1 | |
| 10 | Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering | 1 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Elexity Inc | 1 | |
| 12 | Mr. M Murugan | 1 | |
| 13 | Dr. D X Tittu George | 1 | |
| 14 | Challoch Energy Ltd | 1 | |
| 15 | Concentric Power Inc | 1 | |
| 16 | Vardhaman College of Engineering | 1 | |
| 17 | Total Solar International | 1 | |
| 18 | Dr. S J Ben Christopher | 1 | |
| 19 | University College Cardiff Consultants Ltd | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that any new entrant seeking relevance would need either to design around DMK Nano LLC’s H02J and G06F-anchored claims or to target the sparser adjacent branches — such as EV integration (B60L) or grid-services data processing (G06Q) — where the leader is less active.
Patent publication typically lags filing by 18–24 months, so activity from 2024 onward is likely under-represented in the current corpus; the apparent plateau should be interpreted with that lag in mind. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Sporadic filing bursts and a power-system-dominant technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals two distinct bursts — in 2020 and again in 2024–2025 — separated by near-zero activity, while the technology composition is anchored by H02J (power supply and grid systems) with a long tail of digital and control branches.
Annual filing trend
Filings spiked to 7 in 2020, collapsed to near zero in 2021–2023, then recovered to 7–8 in 2024–2025. The lifecycle stage is assessed as maturity, with annual volume plateaued near its peak. The 2025–2026 data should be treated as preliminary given standard publication lag.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H02J (power supply and grid systems) is the dominant branch with 32 patent records, reflecting the core electrical-integration work. G06F (digital data processing) and G06Q (business and administrative data processing) follow at 10 and 6 respectively, showing growing software-layer activity. Branches such as B60L (electric vehicle propulsion), G05B (control and regulating systems), and H02S (photovoltaic/solar) each hold 2–5 patent records, indicating active but modest secondary fronts.
↗ 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.
Adaptive power for ai/ML systems and methods in a …
A microgrid system including a first and second generating systems configured to generate electric energy, wherein the electric energy includes excess electric energy based on power parameters that include power amount, power duration, and/or power timing. The microgrid also includes an AI/ML module configured to train a control model using one or more… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Power distribution management based on distributed… | 60 |
| 2 | Emergency Load Management Using A DC Microgrid Dur… | 42 |
| 3 | Power distribution management based on distributed… | 15 |
| 4 | Emergency load management using a DC microgrid dur… | 13 |
| 5 | Charging and discharging of DC microgrid energy st… | 12 |
| 6 | System, device, and method for mode-based energy s… | 10 |
| 7 | Power distribution management based on distributed… | 6 |
| 8 | Power distribution management based on distributed… | 6 |
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 investment decisions
The combination of high concentration, a maturing lifecycle, identifiable co-filing partnerships, and US-led jurisdiction coverage points to a field where differentiation through adjacent technical routes or geographic diversification offers the clearest entry paths.
Field has plateaued near peak annual volume
The lifecycle stage is assessed as maturity, with annual filings plateaued near their peak. The two activity bursts (2020 and 2024–2025) suggest the field responds to external demand catalysts rather than exhibiting sustained organic growth. New entrants should expect incremental rather than transformational white space in the core H02J domain.
Lifecycle: MatureSingle leader with a wide gap to the second tier
DMK Nano LLC holds 10 patent records against a second tier of applicants at three to four records each. The top five filers represent 56% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total. This degree of concentration in a 28-family corpus means freedom-to-operate analysis around the leader’s H02J and G06F claims is a prerequisite for any new development program.
High ConcentrationThree active co-filing pairs identified
The most active co-filing partnership is Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) with Robert Bosch Corp (US entity), sharing 3 joint records — reflecting cross-border internal IP coordination rather than an external alliance. Total Solar International and North Carolina State University also share 3 joint records, representing an industry-academia pairing in the solar-microgrid space. University College Cardiff Consultants Ltd and Challoch Energy Ltd share 1 joint record. These pairings signal that academic-industry collaboration is already present but limited in scale.
Co-filing PartnershipsUS-centric with selective PCT and EPO coverage
The United States leads with 15 patent records, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each at 5, and India at 4. The relatively light PCT and EPO footprints suggest most applicants are not yet pursuing broad international protection, which may leave geographic white space in key European and Asia-Pacific markets for well-resourced entrants.
US-Led, Limited Global ReachGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Bosch GmbH | Robert Bosch Corp | 3 |
| Total Solar International | North Carolina State University | 3 |
| University College Cardiff Consultants Ltd | Challoch Energy Ltd | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
DMK Nano LLC dominates; Span IO Inc is the emerging challenger
Two applicants stand out on volume: DMK Nano LLC as the clear leader with a broad power-and-digital focus, and Span IO Inc as the most active challenger with a recently demonstrated new-entrant trajectory.
DMK Nano LLC
DMK Nano LLC leads the corpus with 10 patent records and is assessed as a new entrant on recent momentum, indicating its portfolio was built relatively quickly. Its technology emphasis spans H02J 3 (grid-connected power systems), G06F 1 (digital data processing), and G06G 7 (analogue computing), suggesting an approach that combines physical grid management with computational control architectures. This breadth positions the firm as the de facto standard-setter in the current corpus.
patent records: 10Span IO Inc
Span IO Inc holds 4 patent records and is also assessed as a new entrant with a recent filing count of 4, signalling a concentrated and recent build-out. Its technology focus aligns with smart electrical panel and EV integration themes (B60L 53, H02B 1, H02J 3), distinguishing it from DMK Nano LLC’s more computation-heavy approach and pointing toward a building-integrated hardware strategy.
patent records: 4| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| DMK Nano LLC | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Span IO Inc | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in EV integration and grid-services data processing
Several IPC branches adjacent to the dominant H02J core have low patent-record counts and share in the current corpus, making them worth monitoring as candidate areas for differentiated technical development — though smallness alone does not confirm commercial viability.
B60L · Electric vehicle propulsion integration
B60L holds only 5 patent records (7% share among the top IPC classes), yet vehicle-to-building and vehicle-to-grid charging architectures are a technically logical extension of microgrid control for buildings. Span IO Inc is the most active filer here, but the branch remains sparse relative to the H02J core. An entrant with existing EV charging IP could bridge these domains with incremental claim drafting around bidirectional power management within a building microgrid context.
Search this in Eureka →G06Q · Business and administrative data processing for energy
G06Q holds 6 patent records (8% share), covering demand-response, energy trading, and grid-services market interfaces. Total Solar International and North Carolina State University are the primary filers here, often via their joint collaboration. The branch sits at the intersection of energy software and building energy management — an area where software-platform or SaaS-oriented firms could file without competing directly on hardware-level H02J claims. Entry plausibility depends on the applicant already having energy-market or building-management software assets.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by IPC technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H02J 3 · Power supply & grid systems | H02J 13 · Power supply & grid systems | G06F 1 · Electric digital data processing | G06Q 50 · Business, commerce & admin data processing | H02J 9 · Power supply & grid systems |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMK Nano LLC | Strong · 10 | Moderate · 5 | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent |
| Robert Bosch GmbH | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 4 |
| Pila Energy Inc | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 1 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 |
| Robert Bosch Corp | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 3 |
| Span IO Inc | Strong · 3 | Moderate · 1 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Dr. D X Tittu George | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 | Absent | Strong · 1 | Absent |
| Dr. S J Ben Christopher | Strong · 1 | Strong · 1 | Absent | Strong · 1 | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The current evidence covers 28 patent families in scope. This is a relatively small corpus, which amplifies the impact of individual filers on concentration metrics.
DMK Nano LLC leads with 10 patent records, more than double the next-largest applicants. It is assessed as a new entrant by momentum trend, meaning its portfolio was assembled in a compressed timeframe.
The United States leads with 15 patent records. Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT) each have 5 records, India has 4, and Australia and Canada each have 2. Most applicants have not pursued broad international protection, leaving potential geographic white space outside the US.
The field is assessed as mature, with annual filings plateaued near their peak. Two activity bursts occurred in 2020 and 2024–2025, but no sustained upward trend is evident across the full window.
Three co-filing pairs are identified: Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany) and Robert Bosch Corp share 3 joint records (internal cross-border coordination); Total Solar International and North Carolina State University share 3 joint records (industry-academia); and University College Cardiff Consultants Ltd and Challoch Energy Ltd share 1 joint record.
B60L (electric vehicle propulsion, 5 records, 7% share) and G06Q (business and administrative data processing for energy, 6 records, 8% share) are among the sparsest branches with plausible technical relevance to building microgrid control. G05B (control and regulating systems) and H02B (power switchboards) are also comparatively sparse at 4 and 3 records respectively.
Ready to map your own microgrid control landscape?
Join 18,000+ innovators using PatSnap Eureka to map any technology landscape: search 2B+ patents and papers, surface key assignees, and generate a report like this in minutes.
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.
Nothing on this page constitutes an exhaustive prior-art, novelty, freedom-to-operate, or validity search, nor does it constitute legal, financial, investment, or professional advice, and it should not be relied upon as such. Any patent, commercial, or strategic decision should be verified independently and reviewed with qualified patent, legal, and domain professionals. PatSnap makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or fitness for any particular purpose of the information presented.