BBC Updates Report on Advanced Materials and Devices for Renewable Energy (UK)

Two years have passed since BCC published its last report on the global market for advanced materials and devices used in renewable-energy systems. Since then, the global market for renewable energy has continued to grow and evolve. BCC therefore considers it important to update the earlier report’s findings and conclusions about the size and structure of this important market.

STUDY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The overall goal of this study is to identify and quantify the market for advanced material and device technologies used in renewable-energy systems. Specific objectives include the following:

Identifying advanced materials and devices that are used in renewable-energy systems

Analyzing and predicting trends in the most likely application(s) for each of these materials and devices, as the basis for developing baseline estimates of the renewable-energy-related market for advanced materials and devices

Pinpointing new materials and devices that are likely to be introduced into renewable-energy systems in the next 5 years and their expected market impacts

Drawing attention to manufacturers of renewable-energy systems and associated advanced materials and devices that are most likely to benefit from the trends identified above

INTENDED AUDIENCE

This report is a business opportunity report intended especially for developers and vendors of advanced materials and devices that target the renewable-energy systems market. It should also be useful to vendors of renewable-energy systems interested in understanding where the market is headed with respect to advanced enabling technologies.

Other readers who will find the report’s findings and conclusions informative include:

 Investors

Members of renewable-energy trade, professional, and advocacy organizations

Officials of government agencies and multinational organizations responsible for optimizing energy consumption and promoting the use of renewable energies

While the report is oriented to the interests and concerns of a nontechnical audience, it contains a great deal of technical information that should also be of interest to scientists and engineers working in the renewable-energy field.

 SCOPE AND FORMAT

The report focuses on the global and major regional and national markets for advanced materials (e.g., polymers, elastomers, composites, high-temperature alloys, powder metals, thin films, and others) and devices (sensors and controllers, optics, etc.) used in the fabrication of the following types of renewable-energy systems:

Solar photovoltaic

Solar thermal

Mini- and micro-hydro

Wind

Geothermal

Ocean

The report does not cover biofuels or renewable-energy-storage technologies such as batteries and fuel cells in detail because they are covered in other recent BCC studies.

 The report includes the following major elements:

Executive summaryDefinitionsOverall trends in renewable-energy systemsAdvanced materials and devices with current or potential applications in renewable-energy systemsMain suppliers/buyers descriptionCommercial/developmental statusSpecific renewable-energy applicationsProperties/advantages and disadvantages/competing materials or devicesMarket size, segmentation and growth trends2010 global sales as well as sales in selected regional and national marketsMarket driversMarket projections, 2011-2016Industry analysisNumber and size of firmsCompany profiles

 INFORMATION SOURCES AND METHODOLOGY

The findings and conclusions of this report are based on information gathered from renewable-energy products manufacturers, advanced materials and devices vendors and renewable energy-related organizations. Interview data were combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary sources such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature, and online databases to produce the baseline market estimates contained in this report.

The methodologies and assumptions used to develop the market projections in this report are discussed at length in the section on Detailed Market Estimates and Projections. The report carefully documents data sources and assumptions. This way, readers can see how the market estimates were developed and, if they so desire, test the impact on the final numbers of changing assumptions such as price.

[mappress]

Offshore WIND staff, December 19, 2011