Global strategy for the solar cell industry using integral core knowledge management: Comparative research with liquid crystal displays and the semiconductor industry

Abstract

Japan began R&D on the solar cell in 1955, and this research was enhanced by the national “Sunshine Project”, which started in 1974. As a result, the Japanese solar cell industry achieved the highest production share in the world. However, many European governments recently established incentive systems to increase their production of solar cells. Germany’s accumulated amount of solar cell systems increased rapidly and passed Japan in 2005. Chinese companies entered this business in 2006. The paradigm of the global competition in the solar cell industry shifted. At the new paradigm, the each country’s global strategies were analyzed. In Germany, Q-Cells focused on the cell process using a stable supply of poly-Si wafers and government incentives, and become the world’s bigger producer of solar cells. Chinese companies aggressively increased their production capacity and claimed 1 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">st</sup> place, but their technical level has to improve. A global strategy for Japanese companies is suggested. Two future directions can be taken to create the core knowledge for future growth in the industry using an “integral” business architecture. The first involves vertical integration of crystal Si ingots into a crystal solar cell system. The second involves researching and developing new thin film solar cells.