A Solar Light Bulb can bring easy day-lighting impoverished housing developments around the world. Millions of people in developing countries live in temporary settlements that are so close to each other that they lack adequate lighting even during the day. Electricity is not an option for many and they resort to kerosene, candles, or inventive wiring for light, that are not only risky but also expensive.
Filipino entrepreneur and activist Illac Diaz created Liter of Light to provide informal settlements in his country with a cheap daytime lighting source that can be produced and distributed locally. The Liter of Light won the 2012 Curry Stone Prize for Social Design and Innovation
So what is the Liter of Light?
The solution is Diaz’s figurative “liter of light,” a clear plastic soda bottle filled with water and installed in the roof as a skylight. The water refracts the sunlight as it streams through the bottle, dispersing the rays 360 degrees, thereby illuminating the entire room. The recipients of the solar bottle bulbs, who pay about $1 for the bulb and installation, save money on electricity and cut back on the use of kerosene, candles, and other fuels that are responsible for indoor air pollution and fire hazards.
When we first covered this story on Ecopreneurist, and our sister site there was a lot of interest from all over the world. A lot of questions were related to “how can I make this low-cost?” or “how can I install it?”.
Liter of Light wants to help impart this know-how and have released a video to do just that. The campaign started in the Philippines, but has spread beyond Southeast Asia to India, Nepal, South America, and Africa. So here is a video that details the steps to make this simple, low-tech light source.
How to Make a Solar Light Bulb?
Other Curry Stone Social Design Winner:
Social Design Helps Simplify Policy Issues to Empower Citizens