NextEra Energy has a total of 311 patents globally, out of which 179 have been granted. Of these 311 patents, more than 76% patents are active. United States of America is where NextEra Energy has filed the maximum number of patents, followed by China and Europe. Parallelly, USA seems to be the main focused R&D center and is also the origin country of NextEra Energy.
NextEra Energy was founded in 1925. NextEra Energy provides sustainable energy generation and distribution services. The Company generates electricity through wind, solar, and natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, NextEra Energy also operates multiple commercial nuclear power units.
Do read about some of the most popular patents of Nextera Energy which have been covered by us in this article and also you can find Nextera Energy patents information, the worldwide patent filing activity and its patent filing trend over the years, and many other stats over Nextera Energy patent portfolio.
How many patents does Nextera Energy have?
NextEra Energy has a total of 311 patents globally. These patents belong to 199 unique patent families. Out of 311 patents, 238 patents are active.
How Many Patents did Nextera Energy File Every Year?

Are you wondering why there is a drop in patent filing for the last two years? It is because a patent application can take up to 18 months to get published. Certainly, it doesn’t suggest a decrease in the patent filing.
| Year of Patents Filing or Grant | NextEra Energy Applications Filed | NextEra Energy Patents Granted |
| 2026 | – | 3 |
| 2025 | 12 | 20 |
| 2024 | 31 | 10 |
| 2023 | 37 | 19 |
| 2022 | 24 | 22 |
| 2021 | 14 | 14 |
| 2020 | 23 | 29 |
| 2019 | 19 | 14 |
| 2018 | 20 | 8 |
| 2017 | 32 | 6 |
How many Nextera Energy patents are Alive/Dead?
Worldwide Patents

How Many Patents did Nextera Energy File in Different Countries?

Countries in which Nextera Energy Filed Patents
| Country | Patents |
| United States of America | 242 |
| Canada | 13 |
| Europe (EPO) | 8 |
| Australia | 1 |
| India | 1 |
| Spain | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Italy | 1 |
| Austria | 1 |
| China | 1 |
Where are Research Centers of Nextera Energy Patents Located?
The Research Center of NextEra Energy is located in the United States of America.
What Technologies are covered by NextEra Energy Patents?

Renowned for their contributions in the world of electric utility and communication system, NextEra Energy has a robust and innovative patent portfolio reflecting its commitment to advancing the landscape of electronics. NextEra Energy’s patents span a wide spectrum of domains, including electric utility, communication systems, electronic devices, turbine and sensors.
Surprisingly, NextEra Energy has quite a few patents in the domains of Robotics, Umanned aerial vehicles and Solar tracking systems.
They have filed the maximum patents related to Electric utility which include patents related to generation and distribution of electricity, among many.
This is followed by patents filed under Communication Systems which include patents related to advanced metering infrastructure, wireless communication and ticketing system along with the others.
Electronic devices include patents related to smart meter and power adaptor, amongst many.
There were also few patents which describe interesting methods and technologies which have been categorized as Others and are described as under;
US10387832B2, describes a method to handle replacing parts in a system by figuring out which parts are worn out and identifying parts that are supposed to be removed from another system.
US9129265B2, describes a strategy to measure how efficiently calls are handled by calculating the average time an agent takes to deal with calls, considering both the time spent on actual handling and the time the agent is idle.
EP1851571A4, describes a process for figuring out spots for wind farms by using meteorological data to analyze, correlate, and predict the potential locations with suitable wind conditions.
The chart below distributes patents filed by NextEra Energy in different countries on the basis of the technology protected in patents. It also represents the markets where NextEra Energy thinks it’s important to protect particular technology inventions.

R&D Focus: How NextEra Energy’s Research Focus Changed Over the Years?

Given technical insights are based on the (2005 to 2023), would you like to know what NextEra Energy updated in technical segments and where NextEra Energy increased its filing? Fill out the form to get the details.
10 Best Nextera Energy Patents
US20120226485A1 is the most popular patent in the NextEra Energy portfolio. It has received 98 citations so far from companies like Telvent Dtn Llc, General Electric and fos4X Gmbh.
Below is the list of 10 most cited patents of Nextera Energy:
| Publication Number | Citation Count |
| US20120226485A1 | 98 |
| US6985837B2 | 73 |
| US9077204B2 | 58 |
| US20160364648A1 | 45 |
| US7966150B2 | 39 |
| US7228235B2 | 33 |
| US6938392B2 | 32 |
| US8746053B2 | 25 |
| US7161678B2 | 24 |
| US20130068253A1 | 21 |
How many inventions of other companies were rejected due to NextEra Energy patents?
The statistics below share strategic R&D insights. It tells the companies that were trying to protect inventions similar to NextEra Energy invention. They couldn’t because NextEra Energy had protected those before them.
Examiners at the USPTO referred 26 NextEra Energy patents in 96 rejections (35 USC § 102 or 35 USC § 103 types).
The top citing companies in the NextEra Energy patent portfolio are
List of the Companies whose Patents were rejected citing NextEra Energy –
| Company | Number of Patent Applications that faced Rejection Citing NextEra Energy Patents | Number of Rejections (102 & 103) |
| Siemens | 4 | 8 |
| Sap Se | 2 | 3 |
| Microsoft | 2 | 3 |
| Verizon | 2 | 2 |
| Baker Hughes | 2 | 3 |
| Osmose Utilities Services | 1 | 2 |
| Avaya | 1 | 1 |
| Microchip Technology | 1 | 3 |
| Schneider Electric Buildings Americas | 1 | 2 |
| Bank Of America Corporation | 1 | 3 |
Count of 102 and 103 Type Rejections based on NextEra Energy Patents

Top NextEra Energy Patents used in Rejecting Most Patent Applications
| Patent Number | Count of Rejected Applications |
| US6985837B2 | 9 |
| US7966150B2 | 8 |
| US11258855B2 | 4 |
| US10655984B2 | 3 |
| US9401991B2 | 2 |
| US8750594B2 | 2 |
| US11275376B2 | 2 |
| US7436312B2 | 2 |
| US8280145B2 | 2 |
| US11481581B2 | 2 |
| US8645239B2 | 2 |
| US11561251B2 | 2 |
| US9395270B2 | 2 |
| US20140185790A1 | 2 |
| US20160364648A1 | 2 |
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