New trends in physics teaching, v.4; The ... - unesdoc - Unesco

New Trends in Physics Teaching IV
1 Alternative Technology
This includes work on the so-called “soft’ technologies of renewable energy supplies such as solar,
wind and water power. Techniques of energy conservation have a very important place, as do
methods of utilizing fossil fuels more efficiently such as combined heat and electricity generation
schemes. It includes techniques for recycling material resources, from recycling waste paper,
through the production of methanol from organic wastes, to the adaptation of scrap vehicle
parts to other uses. Forming an important sector are techniques of organic food production
which eliminate the need for inputs of artificial (chemical) fertilizers, pesticides and fungicides,
and achieve high yields through the recycling of organic matter to the land.
The scale of application of this type of Alternative Technology may vary widely. The generation
of electricity from the waves or tides is unlikely to be practicable except on a very large
scale, and financed therefore only by governments. In contrast, the power of the sun can be
harnessed on an individual basis, though large-scale applications are possible here also.
A recurring theme of Alternative Technology is the use of combinations of techniques, unlike
conventional technology which has tended to be highly compartmentalized. Thus a small fishfarming
scheme may make use of solar heating to heat the ponds, which will be highly insulated
to conserve the heat; a wind pump circulates the water to provide oxygenation with a backup
of biological techniques for purification; pond water rich in nitrates is used to fertilize the
organic vegetable gardens on the same site. Another example is the house having its own energy
supplies; it is well-insulated, and a wind generator drives a heat pump to recycle heat from waste
water and ventilation air.
Alternative Technology is any technology that is an alternative to those that exploit people
or the environment to the detriment of either.
Intermediate Technology
This is concerned with raising the standards of the poor in developing countries by the introduction
of technology intermediate between the primitive and what is unaffordably or unjustifiably
elaborate. It was introduced as a response to the adoption of inappropriate technologies that had
caused widespread unemployment, an overcapacity of products people could not afford to buy,
and an increasing dependence on the import of raw materials and energy. Schumacher in Small is
Beautiful [31 made out the case for an Intermediate Technology in which the highest priority
should be to maximize work opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed, rather than
to maximize output per person. The Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG),
started by Schumacher in the United Kingdom seeks to devise and promulgate suitable techniques
to achieve this. Often this can be achieved simply by technology transfer, that is, introducing
known techniques from one area to another where they are unknown.
An example of technology transfer is the making of hand-thrown bricks from local clay using
the simplest of machinery which can in turn be made by existing rural craftsmen. The introduction
of this technique into countries with no indigenous brick-making industry has resulted in an
improvement in housing standards, more employment in rural areas and a reduction in imports.
It is significant to note that, with the drastic rise in unemployment in the United Kingdom there
has been a resurgence in the making of hand-thrown bricks there also. ITDG is now also active
in promoting the principles of Intermediate Technology as a cure for some of the bad effects of
technology in the developed world, as further investment in high technology in a resource-limited
society inevitably results in further unemployment.
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