Intellectual property rights and renewable energy technologies deployment
IRENA organised a workshop, “Assessment of Intellectual Property Rights for Promoting Renewable Energy”, on 25 October in Bonn, Germany. More than 20 participants including experts and representatives from patent, trade and research organisations, along with energy associations, gathered to discuss the role of IPR in technological innovation for renewable energy, as well as the potential role of IRENA in IPR to promote renewable energy.
Innovation is essential for the accelerated deployment of renewable energy technologies. Protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is a valuable instrument to promote innovation. IPR refers broadly to the ownership of intellectual findings, including industrial, scientific, literary and artistic work. Patents, which are part of IPR, provide ownership rights for technology inventions for a certain time period and within a certain jurisdiction. By protecting technological development and market introductions, patents stimulate further innovation. Patents are also a rich source of information for technological inventions and innovation, which can be used to assess developmental trends and future directions of technologies.
The workshop highlighted the importance of better understanding by policy makers of IPR in relation to renewable energy technology innovation. Participants suggested ways to refine IRENA’s discussion paper on the subject for use by policy makers. IRENA can facilitate access to patent knowledge and translate such information in practical ways to promote innovation for renewable energy technologies. Opinions diverged with regard to whether IPR protection, in certain conditions, acts as a barrier to innovation, notably where international technology transfer is concerned. For patent information to be used to assess trends in innovation, indicator methodologies need to be further improved.
The outcome of the workshop will be incorporated into IRENA’s Work Programme 2013 in the area of innovation.
Role of Patents in the Innovation for Renewable Energy Technologies
Mirei Isaka, IRENA
Role of patents in renewable energy technology innovation
Ilian Iliev, CambridgeIP Ltd