A top-down analysis: Determining photovoltaics R&D investments from patent analysis and R&D headcount

Christian Breyer, Christian Birkner, Jan Meiss, Jan Christoph Goldschmidt and Moritz Riede

Energy Policy, 2013, vol. 62, issue C, 1570-1580

Abstract: 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 6000m€ and show a rapidly increasing trend on a global scale.

Keywords: Solar photovoltaics; R&D investments; PV patents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2013
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:62:y:2013:i:c:p:1570-1580

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.07.003

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