There can be little debate that energy is the hottest topic of 2022, within green innovation. The significant reduction in gas supplies from Russia over the course of the year has illustrated how dependent Europe had become on this fossil fuel resource for its energy production. As the taps have been turned off, attention has turned toward alternative options for energy production, as well as toward how we can use the energy that we have, more efficiently.
While a sudden and dramatic European-wide shift to ‘majority renewal’ energy production appears to be politically and technically unlikely in the short term, there can be little doubt that the events of 2022 will have sped up the movement toward more of our energy being produced by renewable technology. And while we suffer through high energy prices, using the energy that we have efficiently will remain toward the top of consumer and business agendas.
One of the great benefits of the patent system is that it requires public disclosure of new innovations. These disclosures provide a valuable resource for understanding the current state of the art, as well as for identifying the hot fields, current problems, and the new advantages that the innovations bring to the world.
Beyond energy, as COP27 takes place in Egypt, momentum continues to build toward the development of green technology more generally.
Progress made at international events such as COP should not be understated, but in some ways, the agreements that are reached are only an early step in a much longer process. Achieving the agreed targets, while also maintaining a recognisable way of life, will require development of a wide range of new technologies.
How close are we to finding the technological solutions that will be so important for achieving sustainability? Who is developing these innovations, and where are they coming from?
We have attempted to leverage our experience of working with technology experts and the patent system, and to navigate these resources to produce data driven analysis, and to try to pull back the curtain on the progress of green innovation.
This time last year, we published the first annual Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report (2021 edition) to examine global progress in green innovation and what it might mean to countries, commerce and the planet.
Such was the response to the report that – this year – we’ve both broadened and refined its scope: along with revisiting the innovation areas of plastics, batteries and food production, the Inside Green Innovation: Progress Report 2022 includes analyses of technological developments in carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS), hydrogen, heat pumps and solar energy, all of which are grouped into the categories of food, materials, and energy.
Energy (hydrogen, solar, batteries, heat pumps): renewable energy will be an increasingly important aspect of future energy production. In this report, we investigate solar (or photovoltaic cells) power and hydrogen-based power and provide insight into the challenges they face. Producing renewable energy is only a part of the solution - to reduce strain on production capacity as population and energy use grows, the importance of using our energy efficiently will only increase. Heat-pumps are an established technology that can provide dramatic reductions in energy use across a wide number of applications.
Materials (bioplastics, plastics recycling and carbon capture): the concerns associated with plastic use are well-publicised. We identify and assess some key bioplastics as well as leading recycling technologies. Capturing greenhouse gases emitted from power generating and manufacturing processes is also likely to be a key green technology.
Food (alternative protein): the human population has expanded dramatically over the last century and promises to continue to do so for the next. Feeding a growing population in a sustainable manner is a significant problem facing humanity. Protein is a major part of our diet, but one of the most environmentally polluting to produce – traditionally produced through livestock rearing. We review what more environmentally friendly alternative protein technologies are on the horizon.
Chris Mason Senior Associate
Source:
https://appleyardlees.foleon.com/igipr2/inside-green-innovation-progress-report-2022/foreword