Extended Outline of Textbook -- Appropriate Technology
Chapter 1: " Appropriate Technology -- What It Is And Why We Care
"
A choice of technologies exists. Appropriate technology has something
-- jobs, goods, and services, accessibility to many, preservation of local
culture and more -- to offer in the Third World and also in the United
States. Concerns about small scale technologies -- magnitude of outputs,
where Appropriate Technology leads, difficulty with management and so forth
-- also exist. Criteria for choosing a technology include cost/benefit,
influence on culture, influence on lifestyle. The chapter concludes with
an overview of the book .
Chapter 2: "Basics"
Three subjects are discussed: the design process, basic financial analysis
-- discounted cash flow, and energy fundamentals.
Chapter 3: "Electricity"
Chapters 3 through 12 describe various technologies. In this chapter Voltage, Current and Resistance are reviewed, as is the design of practical user-built systems including storage techniques. The emphasis of the chapter is estimating the minimum electrical needs of a family, as preparation for hydro, wind, and pv systems of subsequent chapters.
Chapter 4: "Hydropower"
The amount of power available from a typical stream is estimated. Types
of waterwheels and dams are discussed, as is the required size of a storage
pond. Costs of a home built system are calculated.
Chapter 5: "Wind Power"
The amount of wind power available in a typical situation is estimated.
Rotor shapes and various systems are discussed. Costs are also calculated.
Chapter 6: "Tools "
Bicycles, Water pumps and Cook Stoves, are the three tools considered.
Chapter 7 : " Photo-voltaic Devices "
The physics of the devices are reviewed but the focus of the chapter
is on system design and cost .
Chapter 8: "Methane Digesters"
Manure and other plant wastes can be fermented to produce a gaseous
fuel and an odorless effluent -- useful as a fertilizer. The chapter begins
with a design project done in Bangladesh and discusses possible uses on
a small farm in the United States. The chemistry is reviewed briefly.
Chapter 9 " Agriculture "
The focus is on the decisions -- crop varieties, fertilizer, pest control,
and so forth -- needed to plan a small farm, or urban garden, supplying
a family. Animals receive minor attention .
Chapter 10: " Aquaculture "
Again the focus is on design decisions -- types of fish, whether to
feed, size of pond, and so forth. Costs and yields are worked out.
Chapter 11: "Health Care "
Health needs in the Third World, particularly for women, are discussed,
then Oral Rehydration Therapy, pit latrines and design of water supplies.
The chapter includes a fairly detailed description of African village health
needs written by a Kenyan health administrator.
Chapter l2: " Solar Energy "
Space heating of a home and water heating are emphasized. The physics
of heat transfer is discussed. The design of a passive solar system is
worked out in some detail. Design considerations for a collector are also
presented.
Chapter l3: "Appropriate Technology in the Third World"
The remaining chapters focus on the social implications of technological
decisions. This chapter discusses needs in the Third World -- food, clothing,
sustainable development, attitudes of self-reliance -- and whether Appropriate
Technology can meet these needs. A case study describing the implementation
of a pv system in the Marshall Islands is given.
Chapter 14: "Appropriate Technology in the United States"
Needs are again discussed and several successful projects, such as
urban renewal through sweat equity are reviewed. The question of how Appropriate
Technology functions in parallel with other approaches is considered. The
case study in this chapter is a subsistence farm in Rhode Island.
Chapter l5: "Culture and Women"
The cultural issues considered are how a technological choice can augment
or diminish a group's culture and how cultural factors influence technological
change. A major focus of this chapter is how technological change has particularly
affected the position of women in the Third World.
Chapter 16: "Technology Policy"
The emphasis is on how government policies are formed and how they
can be modified to improve the acceptance of Appropriate Technology. The
case study is energy policy in Malawi.
Chapter 17: "The Prospects for Appropriate Technology"
This summary chapter addresses the question of how to promulgate the
further use of Appropriate Technology.