Exploring the patent collaboration network of China's wind energy industry: A study based on patent data from CNIPA

Abstract

As an important part of China's strategic emerging industries, developing wind energy is key to improving the nation's energy structure, protecting the environment, ensuring energy security, and achieving sustainable economic development. This study uses complex network theory and social network analysis to investigate the collaboration network of China's wind energy industry based on the collaborative application data of patents from the China National Intellectual Property Administration. The results demonstrate that the State Grid Corporation of China plays an important role in the collaboration network. With the wind energy industry's development, the network's dominant force has changed from individuals to enterprises, and its collaboration frequency now differs across various technology fields and organizations. Furthermore, the maximal connected subnetwork was found to be important for knowledge dissemination. These results demonstrate a large difference in the network's spatial distribution. Thus, the government should invest more in technological innovation, strengthen the collaboration platform's construction, and formulate policies supporting the collaboration network's construction.