Selection of key technology policies for Chinese offshore wind power: A perspective on patent maps

China is rich in offshore wind energy resources and the development of its offshore wind power is considered a practical solution to today's energy requirements. In the field of offshore wind power and, in contrast to more developed countries, China still has a problem with both a weak technical support system and underdeveloped technologies. To shed some light on present day technological advancements in this area, this paper uses the Beijing IncoShare Patent Database as well as patent maps to conduct statistical analyses on the evolution, regional distribution, variation in type and International Patent Classification of patent applications for offshore wind power in China. The research indicates that policies aimed at bolstering technologies were the cause of the observed rapid growth in offshore wind power patents from 2006 to 2013. Regional distribution of these patents is concentrated in Eastern China, with little activity in either Central or Western China. At present, a significant percentage of patents on Chinese offshore wind power have expired, so it is recommended that China both increase its capacity for technical industrialization and reinforce its protection of intellectual property rights. Furthermore, insufficient research on motors, hydraulic engineering and ship propulsion plants is a constraint to technological progress and future policy which aims at improving China's prospects for offshore wind power should focus on these areas.