Wind power, solar energy and waste incineration. “Those are the three leading technologies within climate on the international scene according to OECD’s latest status for climate related patens from December 2007.  There is reason to be happy that Denmark is among the leaders within the most important technologies,” states Keld Laursen, professor of research at Copenhagen Business School to the financial daily Børsen.

Denmark is strong within wind energy but also within waste incineration. Those are two of the most coveted technologies in this area.  It shows that Denmark is up front, he says.

He refers to statistics for  patents from Danish applicants made by the Danish Patent and Trademark Office for the financial daily Børsen. Statistics show that Danish applications for international patents on climate friendly energy technologies are more than doubled in five years with wind power and waste incineration as the most dominating.

The Danish figures can not be compared with the statistics from OECD which show the development in Danish patent applications (EPO) within climate friendly energy technologies but only up to 2003. Even though the OECD statistics are based on old data it gives a clear picture of the fact that patent applications within wind, sun and waste have more than doubled the last eight years. By way of comparison the number of patent applications within biomass, geothermal heath water and wave power  are stable.

Patents say something about mature technologies. But it is also an indication of the level of the propensity to invest in a sector.  Therefore it is positive to notice that Denmark looks strong at two out of three technologies with most international patent applications” states Keld Laursen.