Alternative sources of power for small-scale water supplies - a case study

Abstract

Introduction The difficulty of choosing appropriate technologies for developing countries is a problem which is becoming increasingly obvious. The difference in factor availabilities between developed and less developed countries is growing and the failure of the technologies of one culture to take root in other cultures is apparent in almost any developing country. The following is an attempt to analyze the technological solutions to one particular problem in one area of one developing country. The most formal expression of what characteristics might be found in an appropriate technology has been made by Schumacher, who has proposed the introduction of Intermediate Technologies and his ideas have been used here as a framework for trying to identify the choices which are available. To quantify the comparison, the Little and Mirrlees' method has been applied to the alternative solutions as far as possible, while incorporating some modifications which either seem justified in relation to the Intermediate Technology philosophy, or are necessary to allow completion of the analysis.