Appropriate technology is the kind of technology that fits small-scale, grassroots, people-centred economics. For the last two decades LEDeG has been tirelessly working for the introduction of appropriate technologies, which have the potential to improve the living condition of people. The most prominent among them are micro hydro, hydraulic ram pump, improved water mill, solar architecture, solar cookers, solar home lighting system etc.

LEDeG has promoted locally-manufactured technologies that use solar energy for space heating, cooking, water heating, crop drying and greenhouses, small-scale water power for grinding grain, producing electricity and pumping water. Today, one or more of these technologies can be found in virtually every Ladakhi village.

Solar energy
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Decentralized Water Supply
Though the mountains of the Greater Himalayan region are one of the largest reservoirs and the source for many mighty rivers, the mountain people and the downstream neighbours have always been beset by the problem of water scarcity for irrigation and drinking purpose. Often the mountain women have to fetch water from the river and streams flowing through a deep narrow notch of the Himalaya. The water issues in mountain areas are the cause for many development problems like gender issues, health problems, low productivity etc. In the case of Ladakh, the problem is relatively less severe than the other mountain area as the Ladakhi villages are situated in the watershed areas of snow fed streams. However, the problem of water scarcity for drinking and irrigation exists in many remote parts of Ladakh. LEDeG has made an attempt to address the issue through introduction of technology like Hydram.

Solar Passive Architecture
With the temperature dropping to -40 Degree Celsius, room heating primarily in the evening and early morning is not a choice but a matter of survival. The primary source of room heating is the kitchen stove and Bukhari fuelled with dung, wood, kerosene and the addition is LPG based room heating system. However, about 90% of the population depends on kitchen stove and Bukhari for room heating. This system results in over-exploitation of scarce natural resources and air pollution besides adverse impact on health like respiratory infection. Exponential growth of population without corresponding increase in biomass and natural resources is making the situation worse. Since its inception LEDeG has been trying to address the problem of space heating through the use of solar energy, local resource based insulation techniques, improved stove efficiency and improved architecture designs.

Trombe system is an extremely simple system built on the principle of passive solar gain and minimization of heat loss through various design and insulation techniques. In 1984 in collaboration with Ladakh project, LEDeG installed 75 solar passive systems. After a decade of LEDeG and Ladakh Project experiment and initiative, the solar passive architecture has been embraced and has seen an unparalleled pace of development, with the NGOs, Army, Local Government and Individuals adopting the techniques. Research and experiments carried out by NGOs and individual researchers indicated that a trombe wall can keep the interior space at approximately 16-20 degree Celsius above the ambient temperature. Trombe can reduce reliance on heating fuels by about two-third, besides reducing pollution and health hazards.