Measuring Innovation Using Bibliometric Techniques: The Case of Solar Photovoltaic Industry

In this paper, we use feature extraction and data analysis techniques for the elucidation ofpatterns and trends in technological innovation. In studying innovation, we focus on the roleof public research institutions (research universities and national laboratories) in thedevelopment of new industries. More specifically, we are interested in measuring innovationthrough research collaborations between these institutions and the private sector.The proposed methods are primarily drawn from the field of bibliometrics – i.e. the analysisof information and trends in the publication of text documents, rather than the contents ofthese documents. In particular, we seek to explore the relationship between joint publicationpatterns and trends, R&D funding, technology development choices, and the viability andeffectiveness of industry-university collaborations.To focus the discussions and to provide concrete examples of their applicability, this studywill have an initial emphasis on the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector in the U.S., though thetechniques and general approach devised here will be applicable to a broad range of industries,situations, and locations.Our analysis suggests that interesting information and conclusions can be derived from thisline of analysis. The results obtained using our data extraction techniques allow us to identifyearly technology focus in different areas within solar PV technologies, and to determinepotential technology pathways, which is critical for innovation policy in the renewableenergy domain.