Co-operation in Technological Development: the Case of Solar Energy

Abstract

In this chapter, we consider the problem of technology transfer to developing countries and its possible contribution to their overall social development, using the example of scientific and technological cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and various developing countries in the field of regenerative energy sources. Before dealing with examples of actual co-operation we will first explain why we believe, in general, that energy supply systems may contribute to development and why, in particular, non-conventional energy supply systems for developing countries, in our opinion, still contain a number of unresolved scientific problems which may be solved by co-operation between industrialised and developing countries.