Abstract: Accelerating the innovation of clean technology has become one of the key ways to tackle climate change in China and the development of clean technologies is closely related to the research subject and innovation process. However, the existing literature focuses on the innovation process and results analysis of clean technology, and lacks the exploration of the guiding role of research and development. According to Chinese patent data from 2009 to 2014 to construct the network, this paper analyzes the characteristics and evolution of the research subjects of China's clean technology from the perspective of patent network, and through main path analysis method to explore the evolution of innovation. The results show that, in the I-U-R co-exist network, the scale of the network is increasing and the types of cooperation between I-U-R are equalized gradually. With Beijing being the core, supplemented by the Yangtze River and the Pearl River Delta, the influence of I-U-R spatial patterns gradually increases. The co-exist networks are mainly competitive, hence the government needs to enhance technology inductions and political guides on the research and development of clean technology. In the I-U-R evolutionary network, the cooperation patterns evolve from type of I-U to I-R so making use of independent research and development capabilities and influence of research institutes and enterprises is becoming a focal point.