Appropriate Technology
Appropriate technology (AT) is technology that is designed with special consideration to the environmental, ethical, cultural, social and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. With these goals in mind, AT typically requires fewer resources, is easier to maintain, has a lower overall cost and less of an impact on the environment compared to industrialized practices.
"Appropriate Technology Sourcebook: Introduction" VillageEarth.org
Solar
There are two kinds of solar Technology, Passive and Active. Passive solar devices are simple to complex technologies such as, cookers, dryers, water pasteurizers and heaters. Passive solar design is also used in heating homes.
Active Solar generally refers to Photovoltaic (PV) Panels that harness the suns energy through various elements, like silicon, and turns that energy directly into usable electricity.
The Sustainability Research and Education Project works with both passive and active solar, but we mostly focus on the development and use of passive solar technology. This is because passive solar technologies are generally cheaper, have shorter payback periods, use less embodied energy to create, and therefore are more accesible to a wider range of people.
If you would like to read further on our passive solar research click the following link and it will take you to two articles: "Solar Cooking Research" and "Solar Tube Shower"
Wind
We have this amazing thing. It's a vessel that floats and a few very large pieces of fabric that will catch the wind and carry us thousands of miles. In sort, the boat itself is a demonstration of wind power. We can transport 5 tons easily through the water using only the wind. We also have a new wind generator which replaced the old one. This generator produces most of our power needs on the boat, as it produces 400 watts in peak winds. It is very quite and produces little vibration.
The mounting for the Generator was made from salvaged materials. If you want to know you can read
The Wind Generator Story
To learn more about the Sail Boat visit
the Broadened Horizons
Fire
There are a lot of things we can do with fire. It is a renewable resource as long as we are grow more fuel, like coppocing trees, to replace what we use.
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Our wood fired water heater, a simple copper coil wrapped around the chimney. Water goes in the top, and gravity pulls it out the bottom steaming hot. |
On the boat, we use a Wood Stove to stay warm and heat up water. Sometimes we even use it for cooking. We use very small pieces of wood for this stove, utilizing cutoff scraps and small branches in an efficient way. One of our future goals is to research what size of area and what species of plants form the most sustainable fuel management plan. We believe that individuals who use wood for fuel should plant as much or more than they burn, thereby producing a net zero carbon gain to the atmosphere.
This wood stove heating system is just a small example of what is possible. In the winter, in cold parts of the world, the fire place is a wealth of energy for heating water for cleaning or for radiant flour heating, cooking everything, drying clothes or herbs, etc. . .
Some more examples of Appropriate Technology using fire as energy:
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Cob ovens like this one are great for baking bread and Pizza. |
Rocket stoves are also a very efficient use of fire. You can cook your whole meal with a handful of twigs. |