| ID | 125873 |
| Title Proper | Top-down analysis |
| Other Title Information | determining photovoltaics R&D investments from patent analysis and R&D headcount |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Breyer, Christian ; Birkner, Christian ; Meiss, Jan ; Goldschmidt, Jan Christoph |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | For alternative energy technologies like photovoltaics (PV), the analysis of Research and Development (R&D) expenses is important to observe and understand market dynamics. This is, in turn, essential for policymakers. However, the quantitative evaluation of global corporate R&D investments is a challenging task due to unavailability or high scatter of precise data. Here we present a top-down approach to estimate the current and global historic cumulated PV R&D investments based on international PV patent applications. High growth rates of PV-related patents and R&D headcount accompany growth and development of the PV market and are an excellent indicator to analyze R&D investments. With this approach, current annual corporate PV R&D investments are found to be about 6000 m€ and show a rapidly increasing trend on a global scale. |
| `In' analytical Note | Energy Policy Vol.62; Nov 2013: p.1570-1580 |
| Journal Source | Energy Policy Vol.62; Nov 2013: p.1570-1580 |
| Key Words | Solar Photovoltaics ; R and D Investments ; PV Patents |