While the Copenhagen deal may not be exciting to many people, the Obama administration has been doing a lot for green tech innovation aside from pricing carbon.

Obviously, the RD&D money in the stimulus package was helpful, particularly during the downturn. The loan guarantees are a tried-and-true mechanism for getting capital-intensive projects built, too. But here’s a smaller example. The US Patent Office is fast-tracking green tech patents in a new pilot program.

“Every day an important green tech innovation is hindered from coming to market is another day we harm our planet and another day lost in creating green businesses and green jobs,” USPTO Director David Kappos said in a statement. “Applications in this pilot program will see a significant savings in pendency, which will help bring green innovations to market more quickly.”

Carl Horton, General Electric’s chief intellectual property counsel, heaped praise on the PTO initiative. “We hail this initiative as an excellent incentive to fuel further innovation of clean technology and a terrific mechanism to speed the dissemination of these patented technologies throughout the world,” he said in a statement.

It’s a nice idea.