Everything about Alternative Technology totally explained
Alternative technology is a term used by
environmental advocates to refer to technologies which are more environmentally friendly than the functionally equivalent technologies dominant in current practice.
It is technology that, as an alternative to resource-intensive and wasteful industry, aims to utilize resources sparingly, with minimum damage to the environment, at affordable cost and with a possible degree of control over the processes. The term is sometimes confused with
appropriate technology, but while there's significant overlap, the terms have different meanings, particularly related to the importance of low cost and ease of maintenance for developing country applications.
Alternative technologies themselves are part of the
politics of the environment. Common political issues related to alternative technologies include whether they're practical for widespread use; whether they're cost-effective; whether widespread adoption would produce negative impacts on the economy, lifestyle or environment (production energy costs/pollutants); how to encourage rapid adoption; whether public subsidies for adoption are appropriate; which technologies government regulations should favor, if any, and how environmentally unsound technologies and practices should be regulated; what technological research should be done and how it should be funded; and which of a field of competing alternative technologies should be pursued.
The term was coined by Peter Harper, one of the founders of the
Centre for Alternative Technology,
North Wales (aka
The Quarry), in
Undercurrents (magazine) in the
1970s.
Some "alternative technologies" have in the past or may in the future become widely adopted, after which they might no longer be considered "alternative." For example the use of wind turbines to produce electricity.
Alternative technologies
Alternative technologies include the following:
Greywater
Solar panels
Landfill gas extraction from landfills
Mechanical biological treatment
Recycling
Urban car
Wind generators
Companies developing alternative technologies
Kyocera
Toyota, with the Prius hybrid electric-gas car
Volvo, with its recyclable cars
BMW, researching a liquid hydrogen fueled engine
BRAC Systems
, a Canadian company, manufactures residential greywater recycling systems which use water captured from the bath to flush the home's toilets.
Motor Development International, designers of the compressed air engine Air carFurther Information
Get more info on 'Alternative Technology'.
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