Mapping innovation systems through patent analysis. The case of technologies for energy efficiency in the residential sector

This work is an attempt to shed some light in the poorly explored field of residential energy efficiency technologies. Energy efficiency represents one of the most effective mean for achieving energy security and reducing polluting emissions. Recent efforts by advanced economies, and especially European Union, are directed towards enhancing energy efficiency performances in all economic fields. While efficiency gains in the industrial sector over the past decades are relevant, the residential sector is still energy intensive, and consumption patterns are constantly increasing. Although attempts for mapping green technologies have intensified recently, the specific field of residential energy efficiency mostly remains uncovered. In order to overcome this problem, in this work an ad hoc classification method based on semantic search has been developed. By using Boolean operators, specific search strings were used for searching patent applications, following a multi-level top-down approach applied to European Patent Office applications. Interesting trends in terms of distribution across countries and technologies emerge from the dynamics of such patents, allowing us to suggest that further specific investigation upon the drivers of such patterns should help policy makers in designing proactive support tools fostering innovation and efficiency for achieving the challenging environmental goals envisaged by the international agenda.