Modern Energy Technologies Introduction to Developing Countries

The significance of modern energy sources for the economic development of any country can hardly be overestimated. However, it is a daunting task to find easily implemented ways to transition developing countries to clean and cheap sources of energy.

Energy consumption in developing communities is steadily increasing, which poses serious threats to the economy. Expensive, non-renewable energy sources trigger a number of negative consequences, from overspending on electricity too dangerous exposure to kerosene emissions.

However, as is evident from the video, the solution cannot be reduced to the invention of a new energy source. Unless specific marketing strategies are applied, in order to make healthy energy products affordable for the public, they remain divorced from reality.

Thus, in order to reach potential customers whose income is below average, a non-traditional diversified approach should be used, whose aim is to get the message across to the buying population, thereby ensuring the stickiness factor (Podmore et al. 2011). In other words, the message should be comprehensible and memorable, while the benefits of a new source of energy must be obvious to a layman.

A deficit in the communication of value is one of the major problems in the process of transferring a society and economy to new technologies. In order to solve this problem, one should:

• make potential customers aware of product features (which is, however, not always efficient, because a lot of customers in developing countries are conservative and not tech-savvy enough to appreciate the quality of the innovation);
• guarantee some benefits of the new product to the customer (which is more efficient, as all potential buyers care about benefits, but, unfortunately, manufacturers cannot always predict the factors that will be viewed as the most advantageous);
• specify the benefits in order to be able to meet customers’ particular requirements; at the highest level of communication of value, the customers’ needs are not only recognized but also directly addressed (Hinterhuber 2008).

However simple these principles may seem, one should not forget about the power of the social context. Any innovation needs a particular time and place to be accepted. No matter how promising the reform is, it will fail unless society is ready for change. The process of modernization should run without constraints; otherwise, it would trigger a protest.

It is also important to bear in mind that the transition never happens in the wink of an eye. Thus, during the transition, a way should be found to use traditional sources of energy more sustainably, gradually eliminating them altogether.

Satisfactory returns on investment can be achieved only if all the factors are given due consideration—reforms cannot be restricted to the energy sector only. The ultimate goal of this marketing strategy would be to make new sources of energy affordable and attractive, not only to people but also to the government and local investors. Only shared interest has the potential to open access to clean and cheap energy for the communities that are now experiencing technological stagnation.

References

Hinterhuber, A 2008, ‘Customer value‐based pricing strategies: Why companies resist’, Journal of Business Strategy, 29(4), pp. 41–50. Web.

Podmore, R., Larsen, R., Louie, H. and Waldron, B 2011, ‘Affordable energy solutions for developing communities’, 2011 IEEE Power and Energy Society General Meeting, Web.