Theme Three
Energy Technology Choice
Topic 3.1: Appropriate technology choice
Objectives
• To generate ideas on the factors that determine the choice of an energy technology
• To examine the characteristics of appropriate household energy technologies
• To assess the gender power relations in the household which determine access to and use of
improved household energy technologies
Time: 2 hours
Content and procedure
Participants are assisted to discuss factors that determine the choosing of an energy technology. They are
encouraged to:
• Discuss the skills needed for labour inputs
• Consider cost of the technology
• Discuss the characteristics of an appropriate technology in relation to the socio-cultural and
environmental aspects of an area, taking into account the ease or difficulty in the availability of
local raw materials
• Discuss issues of control and maintenance of the technology chosen, paying attention to skills
needed for maintenance
• Suggest suitable production methods and workplace to make use of available production
techniques
User’s notes
Appropriateness of an energy technology
An appropriate technology is one that:
• Is suited to the environment in which it is used
• Meets the basic human needs of the majority of poor people
• Makes full use of local natural resources
• Is consistent with the ecological needs of the environment, and
• Is efficient and offers comparable levels of productivity to the alternatives.
It is advisable and beneficial to involve a community n determining the type of technology best suited to
their socio-economic environment to develop self-sufficiency.
Appropriate technologies
• Are low in capital costs, thereby making final product low in cost
• Use local materials wherever possible
• Are small enough to be affordable
• Can be understood, controlled and maintained by communities wherever possible
• Enable people to work together to collectively bring improvements to their communities
• Make technology understandable to the people using it and thus suggest ideas for further
innovation
• Are flexible so that they can continue to be used or adapted to fit changing circumstance and a
particular socio-cultural environment
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