The ongoing transformation of the energy system along a more sustainable trajectory
requires advancements in a range of technological fields, as well as active involvement
of different societal groups. Integration of photovoltaic (PV) systems in the built
environment in particular is expected to play a crucial long-term role in the deployment
of renewable energy technologies in urban areas, demanding the successful cooperation of
planners, architects, engineers, scientists and users. The realisation of that technological
change will require innovation at both an individual (within firms and organisations)
and a collective (sector) level, giving rise to systemic approaches for its characterisation
and analysis of its drivers.
This study investigates the processes that either accelerate or hinder the development
and diffusion of Building-Integrated PV (BIPV) applications into the market. Affected
by developments in both the renewable energy and construction industries, the BIPV
innovation system is a multi-sectoral case that has been explored only partially up to
now. Acknowledging the fact that drivers of innovation span the globalised BIPV supply
chain, this research adopts both an international and a national spatial perspective
focusing on the UK.
The analysis is based on a novel analytical framework which was developed in order
to capture innovation dynamics at different levels, including technological advancements
within firms, competition and synergy with other emerging and established innovation
systems and pressures from the wider socio-economic configuration. This hybrid
functional framework was conceived by combining elements from three academic strands:
Technological Innovation Systems, the Multi-Level Perspective and Business Studies.
The empirical research is based on various methods, including desktop research, semi-structured
interviews and in-depth firm-level case studies. A thorough market assessment
provides the techno-economic background for the research. The hybrid framework is
used as a guide throughout the empirical investigation and is also implemented in the
analytical part of the study to organise and interpret the findings, in order to assess the
overall functionality of the innovation system.
The analysis has underlined a range of processes that affect the development and
diffusion of BIPV applications including inherent technological characteristics, societal
factors and wider transitions within the energy and construction sectors. Future
approaches for the assessment and governance of BIPV innovation will need to address
its hybrid character and disruptiveness with regards to incumbent configurations, in
order to appreciate its significance over the short and long term.
Methodological and conceptual findings show that the combination of insights from
different analytical perspectives offers a broader understanding of the processes affecting
innovation dynamics in emerging technologies. Different approaches can be used in
tandem to overcome methodological weaknesses, provide different analytical perspectives
and assess the performance of complex innovation systems, which may span multiple
countries and sectors. By better reflecting complexities, tensions and synergies, the
framework developed here offers a promising way forward for the analysis of emerging
sustainable technologies
