Offshore Wind Turbine for Agricultural Irrigation Patent Landscape
Offshore Wind Turbine for Agricultural Irrigation Patent Landscape in 2026
With 51 patent families in scope, the offshore wind-powered irrigation field is highly concentrated: the top five filers account for 44% of the hundred largest filers’ combined records, and Orsted Wind Power leads decisively. Annual activity peaked in 2021 and has since eased, placing the field in a mature, plateau-phase stage with selective white space in adjacent marine and water-treatment branches.
Orsted Wind Power leads a tightly held, nascent-scale field
Orsted Wind Power AS heads the Dehlsen Associates LLC and Natural Ocean Well Co each hold 6 patent records.
The top five filers collectively hold 44% of the hundred largest filers’ combined patent records — a high concentration ratio for a field of this size, indicating that a small number of actors have defined the core claim space and that barriers to differentiated positioning are real but not insurmountable.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orsted Wind Power AS | 13 | |
| 2 | MLHEDE PEDERSEN MOGENS | 10 | |
| 3 | MLHEDE LOVING MICHAEL | 10 | |
| 4 | MLHEDE PEDERSEN CHRISTINA | 10 | |
| 5 | Dehlsen Associates LLC | 6 | |
| 6 | Natural Ocean Well Co | 6 | |
| 7 | MOLHEDE PEDERSEN MOGENS | 3 | |
| 8 | MOLHEDE PEDERSEN CHRISTINA | 3 | |
| 9 | MOLHEDE LOVING MICHAEL | 3 | |
| 10 | SURESH SHARON MARIAM | 2 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | KUTTY BABY K M | 2 | |
| 12 | BORDEN SAXON D | 2 | |
| 13 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | 2 | |
| 14 | GRIECO CHRISTOPHER J | 2 | |
| 15 | DEHLSEN JAMES G P | 2 | |
| 16 | DR SHIVA JOHRI | 1 | |
| 17 | ABHISHEK KUMAR SINGH | 1 | |
| 18 | Purdue Research Foundation | 1 | |
| 19 | MICHAEL MOLHEDE LOVING | 1 | |
| 20 | NAGURNY NICHOLAS J | 1 |
Orsted’s lead reflects its integrated offshore wind infrastructure expertise, while the Molhede/MLHEDE inventor cluster signals independent innovation around hydraulic power conversion. The presence of Dehlsen Associates and Natural Ocean Well Co suggests that dedicated offshore-irrigation concept developers, rather than large utilities alone, are shaping the frontier.
Filings from roughly 2024–2025 onward are likely under-counted due to standard patent publication delays; current counts for those years should be treated as provisional minimums. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2021 surge has plateaued; wind-turbine mechanics dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a clear burst of activity around 2021 followed by easing volumes, while the IPC class breakdown shows that turbine mechanics and hydraulic conversion together account for the dominant share of filings — with several adjacent classes remaining comparatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Filings rose sharply to a peak of 17 in 2021, then moderated to 12 in 2022 and declined further in 2023–2024. The 2025 figure reads zero and the 2026 figure shows 3, both of which are provisional given standard publication lags of 18–24 months. The field is best characterized as having plateaued rather than declining.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F03D (Wind motors / wind turbines) is the dominant IPC branch with 61 patent records, reflecting the core turbine engineering focus. F03B (Hydraulic machines and engines) follows at 29, consistent with water-pumping conversion concepts. B01D (Separation / filtration), E02D (Foundations), and B63B (Ships and marine vessels) each hold meaningful but smaller shares, pointing to adjacent domains where activity is comparatively light.
↗ 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.
Power generation from moving water
The application pertains to a process for subsea power generation and fluid utilization from open water currents. In one embodiment the process comprises channeling water from a subsea current through a pipe system constructed to withstand subsea pressures; creating a water hammered pressurized fluid within the pipe system; directing the water hammered… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Renewable energy fluid pump to fluid-based energy … | 43 |
| 2 | Global Warming Mitigation Method | 19 |
| 3 | Controlling an aerodynamic structure by dispensing… | 18 |
| 4 | Foundation for a structure | 16 |
| 5 | Foundation for a structure | 13 |
| 6 | Hydroelectricity Production Facility Using Changes… | 10 |
| 7 | On-site fabricated fiber-composite floating platfo… | 10 |
| 8 | Wind park with heat recovery piping | 9 |
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 strategy
The field’s small absolute size, high concentration, and mature lifecycle create a specific strategic context: core turbine-to-pump coupling claims are well-occupied, but adjacent engineering branches remain materially under-served.
Field has plateaued at maturity after a 2021 peak
The lifecycle evidence places this field at the Maturity stage, with annual filings having eased from their 2021 peak of 17 records. Recent-window growth is flat at zero percent. Investors entering now face an established prior-art landscape in core turbine-pump coupling, making freedom-to-operate analysis essential before committing R&D resources to the main F03D claim space.
Lifecycle: MatureTop five hold 44% of the largest-filer pool
Orsted Wind Power AS and the MLHEDE/Molhede inventor cluster together represent the dominant bloc. This concentration means that licensing or partnering with existing rights-holders is a realistic route to market entry, particularly for firms without existing offshore wind infrastructure IP. The presence of smaller independents (Natural Ocean Well Co, Dehlsen Associates LLC) signals that the field is not yet fully locked to incumbent utilities.
High concentrationOne recorded co-filing relationship; ecosystem is largely solo-filer
The only co-applicant relationship in evidence is between Natural Ocean Well Co and its Chinese counterpart entity — a single co-filed record. The broader applicant list is dominated by solo inventors and single-entity filers, indicating that formal R&D consortia or cross-institution collaboration has not yet emerged as a structural feature of this field. This gap may represent an opportunity for ecosystem-building partnerships.
Low collaborationEurope and the US lead; India is a notable emerging jurisdiction
Europe (EPO) leads with 17 patent records and the United States follows with 15, reflecting the home-market advantage of Orsted (Denmark/Europe) and US-based independents. India accounts for 10 patent records — the third-largest jurisdiction — a level consistent with that country’s documented interest in combining offshore renewable energy with agricultural water access. WIPO PCT filings (8 records) indicate some applicants are pursuing broad international coverage.
EU + US + IndiaGo 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Ocean Well Co | Natural Ocean Well Co | 1 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
Orsted anchors infrastructure claims; Molhede cluster focuses on hydraulic conversion
The top of the ranking separates into two distinct technical profiles: an integrated offshore wind developer (Orsted) oriented toward foundations and turbine installation, and an inventor cluster focused on hydraulic pump coupling. Natural Ocean Well Co is the most notable recent entrant.
Orsted Wind Power AS
Orsted holds 13 patent records and concentrates its technology emphasis on offshore foundations (E02D 27 and E02D 7) and turbine installation (F03D 13) — the structural and civil engineering layer of offshore wind deployment. This foundation-heavy portfolio positions Orsted as the dominant rights-holder in site-installation IP, relevant to any project requiring seabed anchoring of combined wind-irrigation systems. No momentum trend data is available for this entity in the current evidence set.
families: 13Natural Ocean Well Co
Natural Ocean Well Co holds 6 patent records and is classified as a new entrant, with all recent activity concentrated in its current filing window. Its technology focus spans marine vessel platforms (B63B 35) and electrolytic compound production (C25B 1 and C25B 15), suggesting a system concept that integrates offshore wind power with desalination or electrochemical water treatment rather than direct mechanical pumping — a technically distinct route from both Orsted and the Molhede cluster.
families: 6| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Ocean Well Co | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served adjacent branches in filtration, foundations, and marine engineering
Several IPC classes appear in the corpus at materially lower record counts than the dominant F03D branch, indicating areas where the intersection with offshore wind-powered irrigation has not been systematically claimed. These observations reflect relative sparsity, not confirmed commercial opportunities.
B01D · Separation & filtration processes
With 16 patent records and an 8% share of IPC assignments, B01D is the largest under-served adjacent branch. The technical rationale is direct: offshore wind-powered seawater desalination or brackish-water filtration is a logical complement to irrigation delivery, yet dedicated claims in membrane separation, reverse osmosis module integration, or brine management for wind-powered offshore systems are sparse. A new entrant with water-treatment expertise could occupy this interface without immediately conflicting with Orsted’s foundation-centric portfolio. Entry path would likely route through PCT filings given the multi-jurisdictional nature of offshore projects.
Search this in Eureka →E02B · Hydraulic & waterway engineering
E02B (Hydraulic and waterway engineering) appears in 11 patent records at a 6% share — notably sparse given that the entire application depends on moving water from offshore to agricultural end-use. Claims covering offshore-to-onshore water conveyance infrastructure, pipeline design, pumping station integration, or canal-interface engineering at the shoreline boundary remain comparatively uncrowded. This branch is technically adjacent to both the dominant F03D turbine claims and the F03B hydraulic-machine claims held by the Molhede group, suggesting a bridging claim space that neither incumbent has systematically occupied.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ by technology route
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | F03D 9 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | F03B 13 · Hydraulic machines & engines | F03D 5 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | E02D 27 · Foundations & earth drilling | F03D 13 · Wind motors (wind turbines) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orsted Wind Power AS | Absent | Absent | Absent | Strong · 13 | Strong · 13 |
| MLHEDE LOVING MICHAEL | Absent | Strong · 10 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent |
| MLHEDE PEDERSEN CHRISTINA | Absent | Strong · 10 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent |
| MLHEDE PEDERSEN MOGENS | Absent | Strong · 10 | Strong · 9 | Absent | Absent |
| Dehlsen Associates LLC | Strong · 16 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| Dehlsen Associates LLC | Strong · 6 | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |
| MOLHEDE LOVING MICHAEL | Absent | Strong · 3 | Strong · 3 | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus in scope contains 51 patent families. This is a small field by patent-landscape standards, indicating that the technology intersection of offshore wind and agricultural irrigation remains at an early-to-mature commercialization stage with limited total prior art.
Orsted Wind Power AS leads the applicant ranking with 13 patent records, focused primarily on offshore foundation engineering (E02D) and turbine installation (F03D 13). The MLHEDE/Molhede inventor cluster collectively holds up to 10 patent records per named individual and focuses on hydraulic machine coupling (F03B 13).
Europe (EPO) leads with 17 patent records, followed by the United States with 15 and India with 10. WIPO PCT accounts for 8 records. Germany, Norway, and Denmark also appear, consistent with the Scandinavian origin of the field’s leading filer.
Annual filings peaked at 17 in 2021 and have eased since, reaching single-digit levels in 2022–2024. The field is classified at the Maturity stage, with annual volume having plateaued near its peak. Figures for 2024–2026 are provisional due to standard patent publication lags.
The most-cited work in evidence is a patent titled ‘Renewable energy fluid pump to fluid-based energy…’ with 43 citations, followed by ‘Global Warming Mitigation Method’ (19 citations) and ‘Controlling an aerodynamic structure by dispensing…’ (18 citations). These citation leaders indicate that core wind-to-fluid-pump coupling and climate-mitigation framing are the most foundational prior-art nodes.
The most under-served adjacent branches by patent-record count are B01D (Separation and filtration processes, 16 records) and E02B (Hydraulic and waterway engineering, 11 records). Both have direct technical relevance to offshore wind-powered water delivery systems but have not been systematically claimed. C25B (Electrolytic compound production, 7 records) is a further sparse branch relevant to desalination-linked irrigation. These observations reflect relative filing sparsity and should be validated against freedom-to-operate analysis before guiding investment decisions.
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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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