Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape
Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape in 2026
Claire Technologies Corp dominates a highly concentrated field, holding the largest single-applicant position among 66 patent families in scope, with the top five filers controlling sixty percent of activity among the hundred largest filers. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis following a surge that began in 2021, though annual volume has eased from that peak and recent years remain understated by publication lag.
Claire Technologies leads a tightly concentrated early-stage field
Claire Technologies Corp occupies the top position in the applicant ranking, followed closely by its affiliated entity Claire Technologies Licensing LLC. Together these two entities account for a substantial share of the corpus, signalling that a single corporate group has shaped much of the foundational IP in this niche.
The top five filers collectively represent sixty percent of activity among the hundred largest filers, confirming a highly concentrated competitive structure with a pronounced tier gap between the leading group and the remaining applicants, most of whom hold only one to three patent families each.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claire Technologies Corp | 14 | |
| 2 | Claire Technologies Licensing LLC | 12 | |
| 3 | Electric Energy Express Corp | 6 | |
| 4 | Hydrogenics Corp | 5 | |
| 5 | Richard K. Williams | 3 | |
| 6 | Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV | 3 | |
| 7 | Amogy Inc | 3 | |
| 8 | Politecnico di Milano | 3 | |
| 9 | Cummins Inc | 3 | |
| 10 | Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Richard K. Williams | 2 | |
| 12 | Carbon Ventures LLC | 2 | |
| 13 | Richard Kent Williams | 2 | |
| 14 | New Hydrogen IP LLC | 2 | |
| 15 | GE Vernova Infrastructure Technology LLC | 1 | |
| 16 | University of Genoa | 1 | |
| 17 | Aramco Services Company | 1 | |
| 18 | ConocoPhillips Company | 1 | |
| 19 | China University of Petroleum (East China) | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply that any new entrant must either design around a dense core of Claire Technologies IP or seek licensing routes; several recent new entrants — including Cummins Inc and Amogy Inc — appear to be carving out differentiated positions in adjacent electrolytic and hydrogen-processing branches rather than competing head-on in the fuel-cell core.
Filing counts for 2024 and 2025 are understated relative to their eventual totals due to standard patent-publication lag of 18–24 months; no inference about a sustained decline should be drawn from those years. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2021 filing surge underpins multi-year growth; fuel-cell core dominates but adjacent branches are active
The annual trend chart captures the field’s emergence and subsequent pace of activity, while the technology composition chart reveals how IP is distributed across IPC branches from the fuel-cell core to hydrogen production and separation.
Annual filing trend
Filing activity was absent through 2020 and then surged sharply in 2021 before settling into a lower but sustained cadence through 2023–2025. The field is still expanding on a multi-year basis, with recent three-year filings well above the prior window; the 2021 peak reflects a concentrated burst of foundational filings, and counts for 2024–2025 are further understated by publication lag.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
H01M (batteries, cells and fuel cells) is the dominant IPC class, confirming that fuel-cell system architecture remains the primary IP focus. C01B (non-metallic elements and inorganic compounds, covering hydrogen production chemistry) and C25B (electrolytic production, relevant to electrolysis-based green hydrogen) each appear at significant share, signalling that the corpus spans the full hydrogen generation-to-utilisation chain. Lower-count branches such as C07C, B01D, H02J, and B63B represent sparser but technically adjacent areas.
↗ 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.
Carbon capture system onboard a vessel
Subject of the invention is a carbon capture system onboard a vessel which comprises an internal combustion engine for producing power and an exhaust gas, a molten carbonate fuel cell, which comprises a cathode and an anode, for producing electric energy, a cathode outlet stream and an anode outlet stream, wherein the cathode is in fluid communication with… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carbon-neutral process for generating electricity | 13 |
| 2 | Advanced ion exchange membranes and applications t… | 11 |
| 3 | Carbon-neutral process for generating electricity | 10 |
| 4 | 基于可逆固体氧化物电池和定日太阳能场的制氢发电及供热系统 | 6 |
| 5 | Systems and methods for processing ammonia | 6 |
| 6 | Enhancing Efficiencies Of Oxy-Combustion Power Cyc… | 5 |
| 7 | Liquid carbon-neutral energy facility system | 5 |
| 8 | Intelligent Buffered Fuel Cell With Low Impedance | 4 |
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 nascent but growing corpus, and active collaboration among European academic-industrial consortia creates a differentiated landscape where entry strategy matters as much as technology choice.
Growth stage: multi-year expansion with post-peak annual moderation
The field is classified at the Growth stage. Recent three-year filings sit well above the prior three-year window, representing a fifty-five percent increase, confirming the field is still expanding on a multi-year basis. Annual volume has eased from its 2021 peak, and the most recent filing years are further understated by publication lag, so the underlying activity level is likely higher than raw counts suggest.
Growth stageSingle corporate group controls the IP core; challengers cluster in adjacent branches
The top five filers hold sixty percent of activity among the hundred largest filers, with Claire Technologies Corp and its licensing affiliate together representing the densest cluster of families. The second tier — Electric Energy Express Corp, Hydrogenics Corp, and a set of new entrants — holds significantly fewer families each. Engineers evaluating freedom-to-operate should map Claire Technologies’ H01M8 and C01B3 filings as the primary clearance risk.
High concentrationTotalEnergies, Utrecht University, and Politecnico di Milano form a tight European research triangle
The most active co-filing relationships are between TotalEnergies Connected Energies, Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV, and Politecnico di Milano, each pair sharing three co-filed patent families — a notably dense collaboration for a corpus of this size. Claire Technologies Corp and Claire Technologies Licensing LLC also co-file, reflecting a corporate IP-structuring arrangement rather than an external research partnership. These collaboration clusters signal where integrative system IP (combining separation, fuel-cell, and marine applications) is being jointly developed.
EU consortium activeUS-centric filing base; European and PCT routes indicate commercial ambition beyond North America
The United States leads jurisdiction coverage, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). Australia and Canada each appear at notable levels, consistent with energy-sector applicants seeking protection in LNG and resource-rich markets. China holds only one filing, suggesting limited strategic interest from Chinese entities to date and a potential gap if the technology gains commercial traction in Asia-Pacific energy markets.
US-led, EU secondaryGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Technologies Corp | Claire Technologies Licensing LLC | 3 |
| TotalEnergies Connected Energies | Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV | 3 |
| TotalEnergies Connected Energies | Politecnico di Milano | 3 |
| Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV | Politecnico di Milano | 3 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Claire Technologies anchors the fuel-cell core; Cummins and TotalEnergies lead electrolytic and separation routes
The two leading players by patent families illustrate the division between a vertically integrated IP portfolio and a newer, electrolyser-oriented challenger position that reflects shifting industry emphasis toward green hydrogen production infrastructure.
Claire Technologies Corp
Claire Technologies Corp holds the top position with 14 patent families, concentrated in H01M8 (fuel-cell systems), C01B3 (hydrogen chemistry), and C07C209 (acyclic compounds), indicating a broad system-level IP strategy spanning the MCFC stack, hydrogen production, and downstream chemical integration. Its recent filing momentum shows a thirty-seven percent decline versus the prior period, suggesting that its foundational filing wave has moderated; however, the affiliated Claire Technologies Licensing LLC continues to file, pointing to ongoing IP structuring activity across the group.
14 patent familiesCummins Inc
Cummins Inc holds 3 patent families and entered the corpus as a new entrant in the recent filing window, focusing on C25B13 and C25B9 (electrolytic production of compounds) alongside H01M8, signalling an electrolyser-led strategy for green hydrogen that complements rather than replicates the MCFC core. As a new entrant with recent filings only, its trajectory is upward from a small base, and its established position in power systems suggests it may accelerate filing activity as the technology matures commercially.
3 patent families| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Claire Technologies Corp | 10 | ▼ -37% |
| Hydrogenics Corp | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Cummins Inc | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Politecnico di Milano | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Richard K. Williams | 3 | ▲ new entrant |
| Claire Technologies Licensing LLC | 1 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches: gas separation, grid integration, and marine applications
Several IPC branches appear at low filing counts relative to the fuel-cell core, representing areas where the technology chain has clear engineering requirements but limited dedicated IP coverage to date.
B01D · Separation processes — CO₂ capture and gas purification
B01D (separation processes including filtration, membrane separation, and gas scrubbing) holds only 4 patent records in the corpus despite being technically essential for MCFC systems that concentrate CO₂ as a byproduct useful for green hydrogen purity management. TotalEnergies, Utrecht University, and Politecnico di Milano share the existing filings in this branch through their collaborative cluster, leaving the sub-field sparse for independent actors. An entrant with membrane or pressure-swing adsorption expertise could address a genuine engineering gap in the MCFC-to-hydrogen pathway.
Search this in Eureka →H02J · Power supply and grid systems — grid integration and energy buffering
H02J (power supply circuits and grid systems) accounts for only 4 patent records, even though MCFC systems operating in green hydrogen production mode require sophisticated grid-coupling and load-management interfaces to optimise electrolysis scheduling against renewable energy availability. Electric Energy Express Corp holds the primary filings in this branch. The sparse coverage, combined with the growing policy emphasis on grid-interactive hydrogen production, makes this an under-served adjacent area where power-electronics and energy-management specialists have a realistic differentiation path.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across technology routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | H01M 8 · Batteries, cells & fuel cells | C01B 3 · Non-metallic elements & inorganic compounds | C25B 1 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C25B 9 · Electrolytic production of compounds | C07C 209 · Acyclic & carbocyclic compounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claire Technologies Corp | Strong · 18 | Strong · 15 | Moderate · 7 | Absent | Moderate · 7 |
| Cummins Inc | Strong · 3 | Absent | Strong · 2 | Strong · 3 | Absent |
| Electric Energy Express Corp | Strong · 6 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent | Absent |
| Hydrogenics Corp | Strong · 5 | Absent | Absent | Moderate · 2 | Absent |
| Amogy Inc | Strong · 2 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Claire Technologies Licensing LLC | Absent | Strong · 2 | Absent | Absent | Strong · 2 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 66 patent families in scope, covering the global filing landscape for MCFC technology applied to green hydrogen generation and utilisation.
Claire Technologies Corp holds the top position with 14 patent families, followed by its affiliated entity Claire Technologies Licensing LLC with 12 patent families. Together they represent the dominant IP cluster in the corpus.
Filing activity was effectively absent through 2020. A sharp surge occurred in 2021, establishing the field’s foundational IP layer. Activity has continued at a lower but sustained cadence since then, and the multi-year growth rate stands at fifty-five percent.
The United States leads with the highest filing count, followed by Europe (EPO) and WIPO (PCT). Australia and Canada also appear at notable levels. China holds only one filing, indicating limited Asian patent protection activity to date.
Yes. TotalEnergies Connected Energies, Universiteit Utrecht Holding BV, and Politecnico di Milano form a three-way collaborative cluster, with each pair sharing three co-filed patent families. This consortium focuses on separation processes, fuel-cell systems, and marine auxiliary applications.
B01D (gas separation and CO₂ capture) and H02J (grid integration and power management) each hold only 4 patent records despite being technically essential to MCFC-based green hydrogen systems. B01J (catalysis) and B63B (marine vessels) are also sparse. These branches represent under-served adjacent areas where differentiated IP positions may be achievable.
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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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