Green and low-carbon technologies primarily encompass technologies that achieve carbon reduction, carbon neutrality, and carbon negative effects through approaches such as the clean utilization of traditional energy, energy conservation and efficiency improvements, the use of new energy sources, and the capture, utilization, and sequestration of greenhouse gases. This category excludes green technologies with synergistic carbon reduction effects, such as pollution reduction and resource recycling. Green and low-carbon technology patents refer to those whose invention is primarily based on green and low-carbon technologies and that demonstrate a technological effect of reducing carbon emissions compared to existing technologies.
This classification system is an independent framework that employs a linear classification method, dividing green and low-carbon technologies into four levels of technological sub-branches. The primary technological branches include Fossil Energy Decarbonization Technologies, Energy Conservation and Energy Recovery, Clean Energy, Energy Storage Technologies, and Greenhouse Gas Capture, Utilization and Sequestration, totaling five branches. This extends to secondary branches (19 types), tertiary branches (56 types), and quaternary branches (62 types), amounting to a total of 142 types. The construction of this classification system adopts an architecture that maps the International Patent Classification (IPC) to green and low-carbon technologies, drawing inspiration from sources like the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Green Technology Inventory and the Japan Patent Office's Green Transformation Technologies. This approach ensures international comparability of the classification system, supports the construction of a global green and low-carbon technology database, and facilitates international exchange and the transfer of green and low-carbon technology patents.
The regional statistical data on green and low-carbon patents in China, developed by the CnOpenData team, is based on the International Patent Classification system and is categorized into three sections: invention patents published, invention patents granted, and utility model patents. This data is organized into statistical tables for individual provinces and individual cities, covering 31 provinces and municipalities directly under the central government, and involving over 350 prefecture-level cities.
Database Application Guide
Logical application of CnOpenData's regional statistical data on green and low-carbon patents in China: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/J7O2NDuM5k_PXqB28AvYUw
Time Span
1985-2024
Data Notes
- This classification system establishes a reference relationship between green and low-carbon technologies and the International Patent Classification Table. Each green and low-carbon technology corresponds to one or more international patent classifications, signifying that patents under these classifications are relevant to the specified technology.
- In the "International Patent Classification" column of this system: "partially relates to" indicates that some patents at and below the specified IPC classification level involve green and low-carbon technologies; "totally relates to" indicates that all patents at and below the specified IPC classification level involve green and low-carbon technologies.
- This classification system uses the International Patent Classification Table (IPC 2022) as its reference basis.
- Low-carbon encompasses: fossil energy decarbonization technologies + energy conservation and energy recovery; Carbon Neutrality encompasses: clean energy + energy storage technologies; Negative carbon encompasses: greenhouse gas capture, utilization, and sequestration.
Field Display
Sample Data
Green and Low-Carbon Invention Patents Published Citation Table
Green and Low-Carbon Invention Patents Published Cited-by Table
Green and Low-Carbon Invention Patents Granted Citation Table
Green and Low-Carbon Invention Patents Granted Cited-by Table
Green and Low-Carbon Utility Model Patents Citation Table
Green and Low-Carbon Utility Model Patents Cited-by Table
Relevant Literature
- Xu, J., & Cui, J. (2020). Low-carbon cities and enterprise green technology innovation. China Industrial Economics, (12).
Data Update Frequency
Annual Update