Title: Detection and introduction of emerging technologies for green buildings in Thailand

Authors: Tanunya Visessonchok; Masahiro Sugiyama; Hajime Sasaki; Ichiro Sakata

Addresses: Department of Technology Management for Innovation, Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan ' Policy Alternatives Research Institutes, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan ' Policy Alternatives Research Institutes, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan ' Policy Alternatives Research Institutes, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

Abstract: Energy efficiency in Thailand remains low despite the escalating energy consumption. Moreover, Thailand's energy security situation is risky and unsustainable due to its large proportion of energy import and heavy dependency on natural gas for electricity generation. In this paper, a comprehensive citation-based approach employing academic and patent data are utilised in order to detect the emerging technologies for green buildings in tropical countries like Thailand. Rapidly growing and overlapping areas of paper and patent clusters have been identified as emerging technologies. As a result, the clusters related to solar cooling have been identified as a promising technology that satisfies the two conditions. Solar cooling possesses great potential since it closely fits the environment in Thailand where there is abundant sunlight all year round and air conditioning consumes roughly half of the total electrical usage.

Keywords: bibliometrics; citation networks; green buildings; renewable energy; renewable technology; emerging technology; solar cooling; Thailand; energy efficiency; energy security; patent data; tropical countries; research articles; solar energy; solar power; air conditioning; energy consumption.

DOI: 10.1504/IJETP.2016.074489

International Journal of Energy Technology and Policy, 2016 Vol.12 No.1, pp.2 - 19

Received: 02 Dec 2014
Accepted: 22 Apr 2015

Published online: 01 Feb 2016 *

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