Improving the Efficiency of R&D and the Market Diffusion of Energy Technologies

Is there a chance that public or private research and development institutions can improve the efficiency of the R&D process? This book gives a positive answer by designing an integrated concept of the science technology cycle and the innovation system of each technology. The position of a new technology in the sciencetechnology cycle is identified by several indicators from patent analysis, citations and market information data. The innovation system supports the search for a comprehensive understanding of all important stakeholders of an innovation, possible obstacles and related policies. The application of the methodology leads to convincing results: the hype of the PEM fuel cell activities could have been identified at the end of the 1990s as the phase of euphoria, but not as a situation close to market entry in the car or boiler markets.

The example of the passive house demonstrates that most of the building components and the competence of architects and craftsmen are sufficiently developed in order to enter the markets in Europe or North America. The example of carbon capture and storage technologies identifies areas of research such as inexpensive production of oxygen, safe operability of aquifers at very low leakage rates and monitoring techniques.

The methodology proposed has been made operational in a manual. As the methodology is generic in nature, it can also be applied (with some adaptation) to other important fields of new technologies such as health and medical treatment, food processing, or new materials.