Detection and introduction of emerging technologies for green buildings in Thailand

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 complete citation-based approach employing academic and patent data are utilized in order to detect the emerging technologies for green buildings in tropical countries like Thailand. Data from academic papers and patents are studied simultaneously, and solar cooling has been identified as a promising technology. 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.