Offshore Wind Turbine for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape
Offshore Wind Turbine for Green Hydrogen Patent Landscape in 2026
The offshore wind-to-green-hydrogen field is a fast-growing but still small corpus, dominated by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy with a commanding share of activity among the top filers, with Europe (EPO) as the primary filing jurisdiction. The field expanded sharply on a multi-year basis before annual volume eased from its 2022 peak, signalling rapid but maturing early-stage interest.
Siemens Gamesa leads a concentrated, early-stage field
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is the clear first-mover, ranking first among all applicants. The top five filers together account for 52% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, indicating a tightly concentrated competitive structure.
A clear tier gap separates the leader from the rest: Siemens Gamesa holds roughly twice the portfolio of the second-ranked Environmental Resources Management and nearly three times that of the third-ranked Siemens Energy Global. Below the top three, portfolio sizes fall steeply into single digits.
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy AS | 27 | |
| 2 | Environmental Resources Management Ltd | 13 | |
| 3 | SIEMENS ENERGY GLOBAL GMBH & CO KG | 10 | |
| 4 | KOREA INSTITUTE OF OCEAN SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | 9 | |
| 5 | Subsea 7 Ltd | 8 | |
| 6 | Subsea 7 Norway AS | 8 | |
| 7 | Natural Ocean Well Co | 6 | |
| 8 | École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) | 5 | |
| 9 | Intercontinental Energy Holdings Group Ltd | 5 | |
| 10 | Dehlsen Associates of the Pacific Ltd | 4 |
| # | Applicant | Patent families | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of Malta | 4 | |
| 12 | Innovator Energy LLC | 4 | |
| 13 | Drift Energy Ltd | 4 | |
| 14 | ICEHGL Pte Ltd | 4 | |
| 15 | Vestas Wind Systems AS | 3 | |
| 16 | Embraer SA | 2 | |
| 17 | Reinhold Cohn Group | 2 | |
| 18 | National Institute of Technology Manipur | 1 | |
| 19 | Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 1 | |
| 20 | Zhejiang Electric Power Design Institute | 1 |
The leaders’ positions imply they are building foundational freedom-to-operate coverage early in the technology cycle, while challengers — including Korean, subsea, and academic players — are staking narrower positions across marine vessel engineering, electrolysis, and offshore installation.
The most recent 18–24 months are under-represented due to publication lag; apparent softening in 2024–2025 filing counts should not be read as a real decline in activity. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
A 2022 surge defines the field; wind turbines and electrolysis dominate the technology mix
The annual filing trend reveals a field that emerged from near-zero activity in 2017–2020 and then surged sharply in 2022, while technology composition shows that wind motor and electrolytic production classes account for the bulk of coverage.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings jumped from single digits before 2021 to a peak in 2022, then moderated in 2023 and 2024 — a pattern consistent with an early-growth wave rather than a mature plateau. The 2024 and 2025 bars are further suppressed by publication lag and should be treated as floors, not ceilings.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
F03D (wind motors/turbines) is the dominant class, followed by C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, principally hydrogen via electrolysis) and B63B (ships and marine vessels). The co-presence of F03D and C25B across many filings reflects the core system integration challenge: coupling offshore turbines to onboard or nearby electrolysers. H02J (power supply and grid) and B63J (ship auxiliaries) are also materially represented, pointing to balance-of-plant and vessel-service integration as active 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.
OFFSHORE-WINDENERGIEANLAGE UND VERFAHREN ZUM BETRE…
An offshore wind turbine (1), comprising: a hydrogen production apparatus (10) for converting water (W) into hydrogen (H), a water-intake apparatus (15) comprising a first and second pump (24, 25) for pumping water (W) from the sea (16) to the hydrogen production apparatus with a predetermined desired total pumping capacity (Pd), the first and second pumps… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Offshore wind turbine system for the large scale p… | 55 |
| 2 | Offshore wind turbine system for the large scale p… | 29 |
| 3 | Wind and wave desalination vessel | 28 |
| 4 | Mobile floating offshore wind energy system | 10 |
| 5 | Brine power | 10 |
| 6 | 一种海上风电制氢联合水下高压气态储氢的绿氢供应系统 | 7 |
| 7 | Wind and wave desalination vessel | 6 |
| 8 | Wind-Powered Direct Air Carbon Dioxide Capture Dev… | 5 |
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 rapid multi-year growth, high concentration, and a technology mix spanning turbine engineering, electrochemistry, and marine naval architecture creates specific strategic implications for new entrants and incumbents alike.
Growth stage — multi-year expansion positive, annual volume eased from 2022 peak
The lifecycle evidence classifies this field as Growth. The recent three-year filing window sits far above the prior three-year window, confirming sustained expansion on a multi-year basis. However, annual volume has eased from the 2022 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag, so the absolute pace of new filings is uncertain. This is still early enough for new entrants to build foundational positions before the field matures.
Growth stageTop-heavy field — one clear leader, thin mid-tier
The top five filers account for 52% of the hundred largest filers’ combined total, and the leader alone holds 27 patent families — more than double the second-ranked applicant’s 13. The mid-tier thins rapidly below the top three. This structure means that a new entrant can credibly challenge in sub-segments (electrolysis integration, floating platform design, or subsea hydrogen storage) without competing head-on with the leader’s core turbine-electrolysis IP.
High concentrationLimited co-filing activity detected; Natural Ocean Well Co is the only identified co-filer pair
The collaboration evidence identifies a single co-applicant relationship: Natural Ocean Well Co filing jointly with its affiliated entity. No cross-company or university-industry consortia are visible among the top filers. This is unusual for a nascent deep-technology field and may indicate that leading players are pursuing proprietary positions rather than open innovation. It also signals an opportunity for collaboration-based differentiation — academic or industry co-filing could accelerate novel electrolysis or marine integration approaches.
Low co-filingEurope-first filing strategy; limited Asian and North American coverage
Europe (EPO) is the leading jurisdiction, followed by WIPO (PCT) and the United States. The United Kingdom and Australia hold notable secondary positions. China and South Korea show limited filing counts despite active domestic players (e.g., Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Dalian-affiliated entities). This geographic gap suggests that intellectual property protection in Asian markets — where large-scale offshore wind-hydrogen projects are being planned — remains an under-exploited strategic avenue.
EPO-first geographyGo 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.
Siemens Gamesa anchors turbine-electrolysis integration; Siemens Energy and KIOST challenge on adjacent routes
The two cards below represent the dominant leader and the most technically differentiated challenger. All momentum figures reflect new-entrant status, consistent with a field where nearly all active filers have built their positions within the recent window.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy holds 27 patent families, making it the unambiguous corpus leader — approximately twice the nearest competitor. Its technology emphasis is concentrated in F03D 9 (wind turbine integration and power management) and C25B 1 and C25B 15 (electrolytic hydrogen production and cell/electrode processes), indicating a vertically integrated turbine-to-electrolyser system approach. Its momentum is classified as new entrant, reflecting that all its filings are within the recent measurement window — consistent with the field’s emergence post-2021.
families: 27Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology
Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology holds 9 patent families and pursues a distinctly different technology route: its focus spans C25B 1 (electrolytic hydrogen production), F03D 13 (offshore wind turbine installation), and B63B 35 (special-purpose marine vessels). This tripartite focus — electrochemistry, offshore installation engineering, and marine platform design — positions it as a systems integrator rather than a turbine OEM, making it a credible challenger in the offshore deployment and marine infrastructure sub-segments. Momentum is also classified as new entrant.
families: 9| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy | 26 | ▲ new entrant |
| Environmental Resources Management Ltd | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG | 10 | ▲ new entrant |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology | 9 | ▲ new entrant |
| Subsea 7 Ltd | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Subsea 7 Norway AS | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
| Intercontinental Energy Holdings Group Ltd | 8 | ▲ new entrant |
| Natural Ocean Well Co | 6 | ▲ new entrant |
Under-served branches in power grid integration, water treatment, and hydrogen compression
Several IPC classes appear in the corpus at low counts relative to the dominant wind turbine and electrolysis classes, indicating that coverage in these adjacent technical areas is sparse. The observations below identify branches where the sparsity is combined with plausible technical relevance to offshore hydrogen systems.
H02J · Power supply and grid systems — sparse coverage for a critical integration layer
H02J carries 24 patent records in the corpus, a relatively low share given that power conditioning, grid interconnection, and DC bus architecture between the turbine and electrolyser are fundamental system-level challenges. The sparsity may reflect that most filers are solving the turbine or electrolyser subsystem rather than the electrical integration layer. An entrant with power electronics or grid-control expertise — particularly around variable-speed turbine output smoothing for electrolysis load management — could find room to establish foundational positions before the field matures.
Search this in Eureka →C02F · Water and wastewater treatment — seawater desalination for electrolysis feedstock under-protected
C02F (water and wastewater treatment) appears with only 13 patent records, despite seawater desalination being a prerequisite for offshore electrolysers that cannot rely on freshwater supply. Compact, corrosion-resistant desalination modules integrated into floating hydrogen platforms represent a technically necessary and commercially distinct sub-system. The low filing count suggests this integration challenge is largely unaddressed in the patent record, and an entrant combining offshore membrane technology with hydrogen system architecture could occupy this gap.
Search this in Eureka →How leading applicants differ across turbine, electrolysis, and marine platform routes
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | F03D 9 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | C25B 1 · Electrolytic production of compounds | F03D 13 · Wind motors (wind turbines) | C25B 15 · Electrolytic production of compounds | B63B 35 · Ships & marine vessels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy | Strong · 25 | Strong · 16 | Moderate · 6 | Moderate · 8 | Absent |
| Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology | Moderate · 3 | Strong · 9 | Strong · 8 | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 |
| Environmental Resources Management Ltd | Strong · 13 | Emerging · 2 | Strong · 12 | Emerging · 2 | Absent |
| Natural Ocean Well Co | Absent | Strong · 6 | Absent | Strong · 6 | Strong · 6 |
| Intercontinental Energy Holdings Group Ltd | Strong · 7 | Strong · 7 | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co KG | Strong · 10 | Absent | Absent | Emerging · 1 | Absent |
| University of Malta | Strong · 4 | Strong · 4 | Absent | Absent | Absent |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus contains 130 patent families in scope. This is a small but rapidly growing body of IP, consistent with a field that emerged commercially only around 2021–2022.
Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy is the leading filer with 27 patent families, approximately twice the portfolio of the second-ranked Environmental Resources Management Ltd at 13 patent families.
F03D (wind motors and turbines) is the most represented IPC class, followed by C25B (electrolytic production of compounds, principally hydrogen). The co-occurrence of these two classes across many filings reflects the core system integration challenge of coupling offshore turbines to electrolysers.
Europe (EPO) leads as the primary filing jurisdiction, followed by WIPO (PCT) and the United States. The United Kingdom and Australia are notable secondary markets. Filing coverage in China and South Korea remains limited relative to those regions’ offshore wind ambitions.
The field is in a Growth lifecycle stage. The recent three-year filing window is substantially above the prior three-year window. Annual volume has eased from its 2022 peak, and the most recent years are further understated by publication lag, so observed softening in 2024–2025 should not be interpreted as a real decline.
The most notable under-served adjacent branches are H02J (power supply and grid integration between turbine and electrolyser) and C02F (seawater desalination and water treatment for electrolyser feedstock), both of which are technically necessary subsystems that carry relatively sparse patent coverage compared to the dominant turbine and electrolysis classes.
Ready to map your own offshore wind hydrogen patent 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.