Appropriating Technologies - a systems approach

Dr. Arun Kumar

In the new millennium there is a raging debate over the "digital divide". Perhaps a far more serious divide is the energy divide which condemns almost two billion rural poor to a life of darkness, drudgery and deprivation. All this because the poor do not have access to modern energy resources and energy solutions. They have to make do with inefficient, expensive and unreliable sources of energy such as kerosene lamps, candles and smoky wood stoves that adversely affect their health and impair the natural environment. The clean affordable sources of energy are clearly not within the reach of the poor.

Conventional wisdom, embedded in different government schemes and programmes, have relied on a linear approach to address the energy problems, one at a time. The approach is to promote improved wood stoves, solar lanterns and indeed biogas plants. At any given time, single solutions are promoted or thrust upon unwilling customers. Uniform codes of practice promote the same products once for all and same solutions for every location. Clearly, this has not worked beyond the duration of the scheme inspite of the lure of financial supports and incentives. This has also wrongly resulted in a notion that the poor refuse to pay for improved products or services. The truth is that the poor, continue to pay more for unreliable energy supply and services.

A number of agencies are increasingly looking at a systems approach to the appropriation of new energy technologies. A combination of dissemination and marketing approaches are being examined for reaching out to the mass market. In essence, a systems approach looks at the technology transfer and marketing process within a specific context. The major differences with reference to the traditional approach are captured in the following key steps.

· Offer diverse options for the same end service or application
· Adapt the technology to meet new resource conditions aiming at total productivity of materials.
· Expand the market and engineer growth of implementation gradually.
· Adapt the technology to local social, economic and environmental conditions.
· Focus on technology and service mix which maximizes utilization and outreach to cover the entire system (communities, enterprises, regions, markets).

This current issue of the newsletter highlights the systems approach with respect to the development and marketing of the Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln technology. The VSBK technology had its roots in China. Technology transfer to India involved refinement of the VSBK system to adapt to the needs of the Indian brick making community. The VSBK technology in India has also been sufficiently developed to meet the new regime of environmental standards set by the Central Pollution Control Board. The technology is being increasingly accepted by Indian brick entrepreneurs; albeit at a cautious pace. These are crucial to consolidate small successes and avoid big failures. A significant step has been the recognition of VSBK technology in Nepal. The technology transfer to Nepal has taken place through the Indian counterpart. A similar systems approach is underway to market renewable energy services to communities in Bundelkhand. The approach is to assess the needs of the communities and shortlist solutions that will satisfy the needs. As an example, the domestic cooking requirements will be addressed by a set of diverse solutions which include use of biomass briquettes (manufactured locally), higher efficiency kerosene stoves, gasifier stoves and smokeless chulhas. For lighting, compact fluorescent lamps, white LED devices backed with assured recharging services are being introduced. Development Alternatives, DESI Power supported by ARTI, TIDE are working together to expand the product portfolio and define the service network to evolve a sustainable model for marketing to the poor in rural India.   q

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