Geological hydrogen has emerged as a strategic alternative in the global energy transition and decarbonization agenda. This study aims to analyze the technological panorama of geological hydrogen through a patentometric approach, based on data extracted from the Espacenet database, considering the period from 2016 to 2026 and Brazil as a protection territory. The final sample comprised 322 patent documents, analyzed according to variables such as temporal evolution, geographic distribution, applicants, inventors, IPC classification, language, legal status, and legal situation. The results indicate a technological field in a consolidation phase, with stable patenting activity between 2016 and 2022, followed by an apparent decline in recent years, mainly associated with the 18-year confidentiality period of patent publication. A strong concentration of both inventive capacity and ownership was observed in the United States of America, while European countries form a relevant secondary pole of innovation. Brazil stands out as a strategic protection market, although with limited participation in the generation and appropriation of knowledge. From a technological point of view, the main applications are associated with the oil and gas industry, particularly in the exploration, monitoring, and recovery of fluids. However, there is a growing convergence with chemical, electrochemical, biotechnological, and environmental processes, evidencing the interdisciplinary nature of the area. The innovation framework reveals a concentrated pattern, dominated by large multinational corporations, coexisting with a broad base of independent inventors and smaller organizations. In addition, the comparison between the inventing and requesting countries exposes structural asymmetries in the appropriation of knowledge, especially in emerging economies. It is concluded that geological hydrogen constitutes a strategic and consolidating technological field, with high potential to contribute to energy security and emission reduction, although still marked by structural inequalities in the global distribution of innovation.

Keywords: Decarbonization, Energy transition, Intellectual Property, Technological innovation.