Using patent data to analyze the technological trends of the silicon solar cell

Despite the rapid increase in demand for non-silicon solar cells, which represent the next generation of solar cell technology, silicon solar cells still dominate the market. Silicon solar cells can be roughly divided into two types: silicon wafer and silicon thin-film. Silicon wafer solar cells are helping to expand the solar cell market by enhancing efficiency and cost competitiveness, while silicon thin-film solar cells are rising in demand following the widening of its applications. In this study, we studied patents of wafer and thin-film silicon solar cells in order to analyze research trends regarding silicon-based solar cells, along with the characteristics and level of patents by country and main research institute. We would like this study to help the work of researchers and R&D planners, and to suggest various forms of competitive intelligence information that can be provided through patent analysis.