Technology Frontiers of Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV): A Patent Co-citation Analysis

Recently, greater research attention has focused on the application of solar power generation technology in building construction to reduce building energy consumption and encourage increased sustainable development. An emerging solar power generation technology is in the use of Building-integrated Photovoltaics (BIPVs), where photovoltaic materials are used to replace conventional building materials. In order to map the development of BIPV technology over time and explore technology paths, this study retrieved a total of 4914 patents dated from 1972 to 2016 from the Derwent Innovations Index patent database. This study applies patent co-citation analysis to map the patent co-citation network in three periods based on Ucinet tool. Evolutional path and three key technology frontiers were identified using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and text clustering. The results of this study provide an informed reference for future researchers in understanding the historical development of BIPV, as an emerging and important solar power generation technology in the built environment. At the same time, big data of patents are analyzed using SNA and text clustering, which overcomes the limitation of previous methods of frontiers study that have depended on expert opinion or peer review.