Greening the Globe: Celebrating Earth Day with Carbon Capture and Storage Technologies

Explore the role patents play in promoting carbon capture and storage innovations for a sustainable future

Today we celebrate Earth Day, an opportunity for all of us to take a step back and reflect on what we can do for a planet that gives us so much. In our urgent battle against climate change, the need for innovative solutions has become more important than ever. Among the technologies emerging to help achieve the energy transition, carbon capture and storage (CCS) stands out as a promising path. These offer a means to capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial processes and store them underground or beneath the sea, preventing their release into the atmosphere.  

However, with a myriad of CCS technologies emerging, navigating the innovation landscape in this area can be a daunting task. One valuable resource is the Deep Tech Finder tool, which helps identify startups all over Europe with patent applications at the EPO. It allows users to conduct searches based on criteria such as country, growth stage, industry, patent technical field, startup name and investor name. The tool can then direct users to Espacenet to view patent applications or access information on a startup's funding and investment history. 

To explore CCS technologies, just follow these simple steps:  

1. Under "Patent technical fields", click "Carbon capture & storage"  

Exploring this technical field, we see that in April 2024 there were 39 startups in Europe with European patent applications: 

2. Navigate the map and click on the blue dots as desired to select the company you are interested in. 

A box will pop-up with information on a company's technology, location, industry, number of employees, founding date, status, website, funding history and number of European patent applications.  

3. If interested, click the "Add" button to add the startup to "My list of startups". 

4. When clicking on "My list of startups", a list of the startups added pops up with their corresponding patent applications:  

5. Explore the startups’ patents on Espacenet  

Click on the blue links below each start-up for a Espacenet pop-up of each patent application, as shown below. 

As we continue to explore advancements in CCS technologies, it is essential to recognise the importance of patents in driving innovation forward. By incentivising research and development and providing protection for intellectual property, they play a pivotal role in fostering progress. With collaboration, investment, and continued technological advances as seen in the Deep Tech Finder, we can harness the power of CCS to mitigate climate change and safeguard the future of our planet. Together, let's strive towards a more sustainable tomorrow, empowered by innovation. 

Keywords: Earth Day, innovation, patent knowledge, carbon capture, climate action, SDG 13, sustainability, Deep Tech Finder, Espacenet