GhK Arbeitsgruppe angepaßte technologie (AGAT)

Address:

Arbeitsgruppe angepae Technologie (AGAT)

c/o Gesamthochschule Kassel Moncheberg-Stra 19

Postfach 101380
D-3500 Kassel

Federal Republic of Germany Tel.: (0561)804-5308

The "Arbeitsgruppe angepae Technologie " (AGAT - Working Group on Appropriate Technology) was set up in 1977 in the Comprehensive University of Kassel (Gesamthochschule Kassel - GhK). Working in the Group are college teachers, employees and students of engineering, natural and social sciences. It is headed by an elected board.
The principal task of the working group is to develop new technologies and improve on existing decentralised technologies appropriate to human and ecological requirements.

In addition to fundamental research, the working group has set itself the task of undertaking research with a more practical thrust, developing appropriate technologies, presenting them in an easily comprehensible manner in the form of documents and instruction manuals (working papers), in order to make it easier for users to achieve the desired results.

The results of the development work are intended to be applied both in industrialised and less industrialised countries.

AGAT is working on R & D projects in the following areas:

Nutrition:

Production of high-grade foods by treating and processing organic materials;

Building:

Testing new and old natural building materials from the point of view of low costs and durability;

Transport:

Development of ecologically available methods of transport especially for short distance travel;

Energy:

Energy conversion for small-scale purposes (including solar, wind and bioenergy) from the point of view of reliability of component parts, ease of production, maintenance and repair. Preparation of relatively simple standard concepts and measuring methods.

The subjects currently comprise the following projects:

- development of an integrated plant for the collection and storage of solar energy,
- development and testing of simple solar collectors for heating household water,
- development of a small wind energy plant,
- preparation of standard concepts
for decentralised energy supply units, utilisation of industrial waste heat, scientific evaluation of agricultural biogas plants,
- warm water fish farming by the rotational method with plant filter,
- solar green-houses,
- small limno-ecological sewerage plants,
- building with mud and vegetable materials,
- electric propulsion for bicycles, small electrically driven vehicles for short distance travel,
- simple, robust wheel-chairs.

AGAT has particular experience the following areas:

environment analyses, energy demand projections, analyses and concepts for small communities,
- decentralised block heating power stations,
- standard techniques for groups of islands,
- productive disposal concepts for small and scattered communities,
- agricultural energy production with biogas plants, solar systems, wind energy use, alternative building, aquaculture systems, bicycle technologies, technologies for the handicapped.