Mathematical Problems in Engineering
Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 273530, 24 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/273530
Research Article

A Novel Method for Technology Forecasting and Developing R&D Strategy of Building Integrated Photovoltaic Technology Industry

1Department of Business Administration, Chung Yuan Christian University, 200 Chung Pei Road, Chung Li 32023, Taiwan
2Department of Construction Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, No. 43, Section 4, Keelung Road, Da'an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan

Received 24 February 2012; Revised 17 May 2012; Accepted 22 May 2012

Academic Editor: Jung-Fa Tsai

Copyright © 2012 Yu-Jing Chiu and Tao-Ming Ying. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Because of global warming, renewable energy technologies have become more essential currently, with solar energy technology advancing worldwide. Therefore, interdisciplinary integration is an important trend, and building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is an emerging technology involving the photovoltaic and building fields. The purpose of this study is to understand the technology evolution of BIPV and to determine the R&D planning direction. This paper proposes a hybrid approach to explore the life cycle of BIPV technology and develop the R&D strategy of related industries. The proposed approach comprises the following submodules. First, patent analysis is employed to transform patent documents into structured data. Second, the logistic growth model is used to explore the life cycle of BIPV technology. Third, a patent matrix map analysis is used to develop the R&D strategy of the BIPV industry. Through the analysis by the logistic model, the BIPV technology is transformed from the emerging stage to the growth stage of a long-term life cycle. The other important result is created by the three-dimensional matrix for R&D strategies in this paper.