The price or reliability of petroleum supplies, and pressures to reduce environmental pollution have increased the interest in renewable energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuels. Wind, solar, hydro and biomass are particularly suited for use with small-scale, decentralised energy systems. Those responsible for energy supply (government energy planners, development project managers or small business entrepreneurs) often face problems in deciding which energy source, and its conversion technology, is most appropriate for their specific situation, and where they can obtain the necessary equipment. This invaluable guide to small-scale energy equipment will provide some of the answers to such problems. The catalogue builds on both the 1979 edition of The Power Guide, and the equipment directory produced by the Technology and Development Group of the University of Twente in the Netherlands as training course material. The data has been comprehensively revised and updated on the basis of research carried out by members of the Technology and Development Group, members of Intermediate Technology in the UK, and Densitech bv of the Netherlands. The Power Guide will facilitate decision-making by providing guidelines for the selection of the most appropriate renewable energy source as well as providing information on hundreds of products from almost 500 manufacturers and suppliers in more than 40 countries throughout the world, covering the following areas: micro-hydro, hydraulic ram and river current turbine products; windpumps and wind generators; biomass pre-treatment, combustion and steam systems, and gasifiers; solar photovoltaic and thermal equipment. The information is broken down into chapters each with an introduction with guidelines on equipment selection and the possibilities and constraints of using that energy form. This is followed by manufacturers' data which contain key information on the equipment. Section guidelines are also included on internal combustion engines, and biogas and ethanol equipment. South manufacturers represent more than half of the entries. Essential reading for development workers.

The wind is a renewable energy resource that can never be exhausted and which avoids pollution. This makes it one of the most environmentally sound energy options available.;Applied to water pumping, the wind has been central in the stimulation of many rural economies, such as the Great Plains in the United States, the Australian outback, and Argentina, and there is still great potential for future development of the wind-pumping resource. However, the scarcity of appropriate information on the technology, economics and potential has restricted dissemination in the developing world. "Windpumping: A Guide for Development Workers" overcomes this problem by taking the reader through every aspect of this topic in a systematic way.;The appendix includes a list of international suppliers and manufacturers of windpumping equipment, together with a summary of their products and services.

Originally prepared for an Expert Meeting organised by UNESCO in 1980, this paper outlines Intermediate Technology's basic approach to development work; and assesses the lessions learned from 15 years experience in development activities (Published in the ITDG Occasional Paper series).

This important collection examines the means by which technological knowledge is transferred from countries that develop it to those who need it. Written by well-known authorities and derived from a conference held at the University of California and sponsored by IBEAR (International Business Education Research Program), the contributions focus on the transfer of technology from Western countries to Asian countries.

This book comprises the proceedings of a rural technologies conference organised by the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), which was conceptualized and initiated by Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India R. Chidambaram in 2003-04. The book highlights case studies and research into providing science and technology interventions for the development of rural areas. Covering various aspects of research carried out in the area of rural technologies, it offers a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, and policymakers alike.

Seeking to promote a wider knowledge of traditional technologies in the Middle East and Central Asia, the contributors address three related themes: the history, originality, variety and sophistication of traditional science, technology and material culture in these regions; their influence on the history of Europe and the West; and the threat posed by modern Western technologies to the survival of traditional technologies which have continuing value according to turn-of-the -millennium standards of sustainability and appropriateness to local cultural, social and ecological conditions. There is a clear need for conservation of some artefacts that are under current threat of extinction.

This volume traces the evolution of the concept of Public Health and reveals the importance of political will and public spending in this field of civil engineering. Design, construction, operation and maintenance of water-supply and main drainage works are discussed. The period covered extends from Roman engineering through to the early 20th century, with examples from Europe, America and Japan.

A celebrated international bestseller that exposes the ticking time-bomb underneath our new technological order. The resources race is on. Powering our digital lives and green technologies are some of the Earth's most precious metals - but they are running out. And what will happen when they do? The green-tech revolution will reduce our reliance on nuclear power, coal, and oil, but by breaking free of fossil fuels, we are setting ourselves up for a new dependence - on rare metals like cobalt, gold, and palladium. These are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels, as well as our smartphones, computers, tablets, and other technologies. But we know very little about how rare metals are mined and traded, or their environmental, economic, and geopolitical costs - until now.

Sand rivers can be found in arid and semi-arid areas of the world where water is in short supply. Despite their dry appearance, useable quantities of water often reside in aquifers beneath the surface and can provide a sustainable and safe supply for rural communities. Nevertheless, dry rivers are often overlooked as a realizable source of water. This book sets out to address this issue and promotes the abstraction of water from sand rivers as a viable and affordable option for dryland areas. It enables the reader to assess the potential for abstraction from beneath a dry river bed and provides practical guidelines for doing so. The book is a 'how to' manual and is essential reading for engineers, technicians, fieldworkers and project planners who are faced with the challange of providing and sustaining safe and reliable water sources for low-income communities. It is also aimed at providing decision-makers in the water industry, commercial, government and non-governmental organizations with an overview of an alternative, appropriate water supply solution for dryland areas.

This book covers the public health, technical, socioeconomic, sociocultural and institutional aspects of sanitation in towns and cities of developing countries. The text features excreta-related diseases and the use of sanitation to reduce their transmission. The sanitation technologies covered in detail are VIP latrines, pour-flush toilets, septic tanks, settled sewerage and simplified sewerage, with additional chapters on sullage disposal, pit emptying, and sewage treatment and reuse. Sociocultural constraints on sanitation systems and their socioeconomic costing are described, together with hygiene education, which is essential in order to achieve maximum benefits to health. The text also explains how to choose the most appropriate sanitation option for a given low-income community. Finally, institutional aspects are reviewed, including effective sanitation programme planning, monitoring and evaluation.

Design a rainwater harvesting system for any home in any climate.

Water is a crucial resource increasingly under stress. Yet rainfall, even in arid climates, can make up a sizable portion of any home, acreage, or farm’s water requirements if harvested and utilized with care. The key is appropriate planning and high-quality site- and climate-specific design.

Essential Rainwater Harvesting is a comprehensive manual for designing, building, and maintaining water harvesting systems for the warm and cold climates of the world. Presenting design considerations and approaches for the most common household rainwater supply scenarios – primary, supplemental, and off-grid supply – this step-by-step approach covers:

- Considerations for full-property water security

- Demand planning and conservation strategies

- Supply calculations and design implications for extreme rainfall and drought

- Materials selection and water quality

- System and site assessment

- Sizing and design of gutters, conveyance, tanks, and pumps

- Pre-filtration, filtration, and disinfection options

- System maintenance and upkeep

This practical resource provides DIYers, trades, and rainwater practitioners with the essential tools, methods, and technical know-how to design, build, and maintain rainwater harvesting systems anywhere.

The interest and support that the "Farmer First" philosophy has received has led to a virtual revolution in the agricultural sciences. While many hail this populist perspective as a step in the right direction, some have argued that it fails to capture the complex cultural, social and political dimensions of knowledge creation, innovation, transmission and application within rural societies and scientific organizations. Because they do not adequately address these fundamental issues of power and knowledge, critics charge that some "Farmer First" initiatives encounter many of the same problems as conventional transfer of technology strategies.;The purpose of "Beyond Farmer First" is to reveal how agricultural research and extension, far from being discrete, rational acts, are in fact part of a process of coming to terms with conflicting interests and viewpoints, a process in which choices are made, alliances formed, exclusions effected and worldviews imposed. By going beyond "Farmer First", this theoretically informed perspective describes agricultural development as what it is: a highly ideological and political process. As Robert Chambers notes in his foreword, the concerns of "Farmer First" with performance and "Beyond Farmer First" with process indicate that a radical rethinking of knowledge, power and agricultural science is well under way.;This book consists of some 36 contributions representing the disciplines of agronomy, agricultural science, anthropology, ecology, entomology, forestry, geography, management science, pedagogy, sociology and others. Contributors are drawn from academia, local NGOs and national and international research and development agencies, with detailed case material from Africa, Australia, Central and South America and Europe.

This book comprises the proceedings of a rural technologies conference organised by the Rural Technology Action Group (RuTAG), which was conceptualized and initiated by Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India R. Chidambaram in 2003-04. The book highlights case studies and research into providing science and technology interventions for the development of rural areas. Covering various aspects of research carried out in the area of rural technologies, it offers a valuable resource for researchers, professionals, and policymakers alike.

Constructing a theory of intimacy describing processes occurring between a ‘human’ subject and information creations, Jan Stasienko shows in what way and in what phases that relationship is built and what its nature is. He discusses technologies and genres related to the construction of a new television message (teleprompter, interactive television forms appearing both in the analogue and digital eras), composition of the film image and specificity of cinematic technologies (peep show, hybrid animation, digital visual effects). Also new-media technologies and genres will be discussed (for example, aspects relating to computer games and Web portals making video materials available). This diversity is prompted by the desire to show that the building of intimacy protocols is not the domain of the digital era, and on the other hand, that the posthumanism of media apparatus is a wide-ranging problem, i.e. the area encompasses various vehicles findable throughout various historical periods.

Constructing a theory of intimacy describing processes occurring between a 'human' subject and information creations, Jan Stasienko shows in what way and in what phases that relationship is built and what its nature is. He discusses technologies and genres related to the construction of a new television message (teleprompter, interactive television forms appearing both in the analogue and digital eras), composition of the film image and specificity of cinematic technologies (peep show, hybrid animation, digital visual effects). Also new-media technologies and genres will be discussed (for example, aspects relating to computer games and Web portals making video materials available). This diversity is prompted by the desire to show that the building of intimacy protocols is not the domain of the digital era, and on the other hand, that the posthumanism of media apparatus is a wide-ranging problem, i.e. the area encompasses various vehicles findable throughout various historical periods.

This manual is based on field work undertaken in the project countries (Ghana and Sierra Leone), and benefited additionally from the results of a field visit to Senegal. Its special features are: (a) the target audience consists of government institutions, rural extension services, financial institutions, women's small-scale processing enterprises and manufacturing firms; (b) it focuses on four important processing activities - of cassava, vegetable oil, coconut and fish - undertaken by rural women in West Africa; (c) it covers the range of technologies available in the subregion; (d) it makes a quantitative comparison of the performance of both traditional and improved technologies and provides information on the advantages and disadvantages of each; (e) it describes the basic design features of improved and traditional tools and equipment, materials and parts required for their fabrication; and (f) it provides a list of suppliers of such equipment. The practical value of the manual is enhanced by the inclusion of information on practical possibilities for the utilization of agricultural wastes and the by-products of women's processing activities.

Articles such as hospital and school equipment - bed frames, chairs, tables, handrails - all require the bending of pipe. This manual gives full instructions on how to make a pipe-bending machine, which could be made by most workshops or blacksmiths.

Aesthetics, Digital Studies and Bernard Stiegler frames the intertwined relationship between artistic endeavours and scientific fields and their sociopolitical implications. Each chapter is either an explication of, or a critique of, some aspect of Bernard Stiegler's technological philosophy; as it is his technological-political-aesthetical-ethical theorisations which form the philosophical foundation of the volume. Emerging scholars bring critical new reflections to the subject area, while more established academics, researchers and practitioners outline the mutating nature of aesthetics within historical and theoretical frameworks. Not only is interdisciplinarity a prevailing topic at work within this collection, but so too is there a delineation of the mutating, hybrid role inhabited by the arts practitioner - at once engineer, scientist and artist - in the changing landscape of digital cultural production.

Will we ever be able to see the brain at work? Could it be possible to observe thinking and feeling as if watching a live broadcast from within the human head? Brainmedia uncovers past and present examples of scientists and science educators who conceptualize and demonstrate the active human brain guided by new media technologies: from exhibitions of giant illuminated brain models and staged projections of brainwave recordings to live televised brain broadcasts, brains hooked up to computers and experiments with "brain-to-brain" synchronization. Drawing on archival material, Brainmedia outlines a new history of "live brains," arguing that practices of-and ideas about-mediation impacted the imagination of seeing the brain at work. By combining accounts of scientists examining brains in laboratories with examples of public demonstrations and exhibitions of brain research, Brainmedia casts new light on popularization practices, placing them at the heart of scientific work.

An account of technology in Africa from an African perspective, examining hunting in Zimbabwe as an example of an innovative mobile workspace. In this book, Clapperton Mavhunga views technology in Africa from an African perspective. Technology in his account is not something always brought in from outside, but is also something that ordinary people understand, make, and practice through their everyday innovations or creativities-including things that few would even consider technological. Technology does not always originate in the laboratory in a Western-style building but also in the society in the forest, in the crop field, and in other places where knowledge is made and turned into practical outcomes. African creativities are found in African mobilities. Mavhunga shows the movement of people as not merely conveyances across space but transient workspaces. Taking indigenous hunting in Zimbabwe as one example, he explores African philosophies of mobilities as spiritually guided and of the forest as a sacred space. Viewing the hunt as guided mobility, Mavhunga considers interesting questions of what constitutes technology under regimes of spirituality. He describes how African hunters extended their knowledge traditions to domesticate the gun, how European colonizers, with no remedy of their own, turned to indigenous hunters for help in combating the deadly tsetse fly, and examines how wildlife conservation regimes have criminalized African hunting rather than enlisting hunters (and their knowledge) as allies in wildlife sustainability. The hunt, Mavhunga writes, is one of many criminalized knowledges and practices to which African people turn in times of economic or political crisis. He argues that these practices need to be decriminalized and examined as technologies of everyday innovation with a view toward constructive engagement, innovating with Africans rather than for them.