| This thesis is a comparative study of four communities in Cuba where a similar alternative energy initiative was introduced. The motivating research question is: what are the barriers and facilitators of small-scale, sustainable energy technology adoption in rural settings in the developing world? Taking existing research and published literature on this theme as a point of departure, the present research explored various factors involved in the adoption process---the role of knowledge and technology, training, organizational structures, pragmatic needs, site selection processes and other related factors in the introduction of wind powered-water pumpers in four different settings in Cuba. Use of the comparative methodology enabled the identification of contextual factors involved in technology adoption, in terms of their roles in facilitating or obstructing the process. Stakeholder roles were also compared and contrasted in the four cases. A large data set of fine-grained information about the process was assembled using several qualitative data collection methods, and this information was cross-referenced and corroborated. Analysis of this material revealed that technology adoption is a process which is best understood as one of negotiation among the stakeholders. In addition, the study shows how this process changes through time and through space. The thesis proposes a model of this process of technology adoption. |
