The diffusion of energy technology in the rural areas of developing countries: A synthesis of recent experience

Abstract

This paper provides a synthesis of the experience of attempts to diffuse energy conversion technologies in the rural areas of developing countries. It draws on the experience reported in the literature as well as the five other articles included in this Special Section. The first four articles report the results of research supported under the Rural Energy Technology Assessment and Innovation Network (RETAIN), funded by the International Development Research Centre of Canada. These cover biogas in China, gasifiers in the Philippines, decentralized electricity supply in Argentina, and dual-fuel biogas engines in India. The final paper provides a review of the experience of the diffusion of a number of successful “mature” energy technologies. This introductory paper charts the changing perspective of technology diffusion that has occurred in recent years: the shift from the largely social psychological concerns to concerns about the nature of the technology itself, the political economy of the users and producers, and the more “evolutionary” views of the process of technical change. The evidence is grouped under nine headings: the role of the market and state, diffusion strategies, the performance of the technology, users' needs, political economy, financial returns, the “macro policy environment,” the “system overhead costs,” and adaptation in the light of experience. The paper concludes by drawing from this complex picture of rural technical change a set of basic principles which might guide policy makers and researchers in improving the prospects for the diffusion of rural energy technology.