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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.
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Offer diverse
options for the same end service or application |
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Adapt the technology
to meet new resource conditions aiming at total productivity of
materials. |
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Expand the market
and engineer growth of implementation gradually. |
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Adapt the technology
to local social, economic and environmental conditions.
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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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