Renewable energy related patents filed globally grew 43% last year to 14,800 from 10,500 in 2016, according to law firm EMW.
The majority of the patents – 11,295 – were filed by Chinese companies, followed by the US with 1534.
EMW principal James Geary said: “The rising profitability of ‘green’ energy has prompted many companies to invest in developing and patenting filings as innovation races ahead.”
But, he added, “there are concerns that the US could see a drop in patenting ‘green’ products as the Trump administration looks to cut government research spending in the industry”.
Geary also said the rise may be in part due to concerns about the effect that Brexit may have on the proposed European Unitary Patent system.
“Some businesses may be racing to patent products, to avoid potential difficulties if obtaining patents in EU countries become more difficult than is currently the case,” he said.