Fostering Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in Renewable Energy: Historical Experiences in Rural Development

Innovation, knowledge and technology transfer (TT) in the area of renewable energy (RE) throughout history have been important tools for rural development (RD). Initially, knowledge transfer and TT have been conceptualized as the purchase or donation of technology and machinery from first world countries, without any consideration of staff training and contextual conditions for the adaptation to the needs of the country. Several researches have revealed the existence of different approaches to planning the TT of RE, demonstrating the high complexity of projects from the social and contextual dimension. This paper addresses the conceptual evolution of the innovation, knowledge and technology transfer in the area of renewable energy (RE), examining experiences in rural development and their different historical periods, considered from three criteria: historical events occurred, the role of stakeholders and changing objectives. The conceptual analysis of changes based on the model Working With People (WWP) which is used for planning and project management of high social complexity in RD. The analysis defines the existence of four historical periods in the TT of RE and synthesizes the lessons of experience from the three dimensions (ethical-social, technical-entrepreneurial, and political-contextual) of the WWP model.