D.Light Solar Lantern: Providing Light Were There is None

The business I am speaking of is D.light Design. It is averaged that there are 1.6 billion people in the world without access to electricity. Because of this these people most often rely on fossil fuels like kerosene for their light source. Kerosene is quite expensive and with 80% of people living on less than $2 a day becomes quite a burden on a household's monthly income.

D.light was set up in 2007 by Sam Goldman and Ned Tozun to find ways to tackle this problem through the solar lantern. D.light's mission was to design and sell affordable solar lanterns in developing countries. D.light is headquartered in Hong Kong with offices in India, China, Tanzania, and the US. This solar lantern business, over the past three years, has grown from its original 2 founders to over 70 employees. The target market for the solar lantern is India and Africa.

D.light is winner of this year's Ashden Award, an award given to businesses that provide energy solutions that cut carbon, protect the environment, reduce poverty and improve people's lives. D.light has done just that in developing solar-rechargeable LED lanterns (solar lanterns) to provide clean and affordable alternative lighting solutions.

The D.light solar lantern comes in three models named Nova, Solata, and Kiran. They range from .3Wp to 1.3Wp. All three models use LED lights.

Additional highlights of the lanterns include:

• Low cost ($10-$45)

• High quality

• Durable

• Reduce CO2 emissions (current estimates at 44,000 tonnes a year)

The Nova has a handle for ease of carrying or hanging to light a room. The Nova solar lantern provides about 4 hours of light on the brightest setting or 150 hours as a night light on a single charge. An option also provides a mobile phone charger.

The Solata solar lantern is a desk lamp. The settings allow between 4 and 15 hours of light from each charge.

The Kiran solar lantern has an integrated PV (photovoltaic module) cell and must stand outside in the sun to be charged. The Kiran solar lantern can provide complete light for a room of market space for between 4 and 8 hours.

Each solar lantern is equipped with a rechargeable battery. The expected lifetime of the PV is at least 10 years, and the battery needs to be changed approximately every one to two years. The LED light has an estimated lifetime of 50,000 hours.

D.light has sold over 220,000 solar lanterns in over 30 countries. If you figure an average family of five then the lanterns are benefiting around 1.1 million people.

Environmental benefits include the replacement of kerosene (reducing carbon emissions).

Social benefits include the extended work/study day. Children can study longer and farmers can work into the evening, something they could not do before. Neighbors are getting to know one another better through social engagements that now last into the night.

These solar lanterns are not typically replacing kerosene lamps. Because of the cost most have done without light. Their lives, social and business, resided within day-light hours. Enhancements that these lanterns provide are life changing for those now in their possession.

Sources:

D.light Design

Rachel Cernansky, planetgreen.discovery.com

Ashden Award