I know we just featured FIPEL in our last post—that breakthrough lighting system reputedly more efficient than CFLs and LEDs. But truth be told, even if FIPEL actually takes off, the lighting needs of the rest of the world wouldn’t still be solved. By “rest of the world”, I mean places with virtually no access to electricity.
Self-powered GravityLight harnesses the power of gravity.
Yes, places like that still exist, even in the year 2012. For the rest of us who are comfortably nestled in our well-lit homes surrounded by all our reliable gadgets and appliances, it’s easy to take that comfort for granted (Only when there is power disruption do we notice.) In far-flung places however not reached by electricity, especially in Third World countries, the grim truth is that everyday life is inescapably dependent on available light from the sun.
Come darkness and it’s either kerosene lamps—or if the village is lucky enough—battery-powered lamps charged by expensive solar cells.
GravityLight poses to change all of that.
Developed by London-based designers Martin Riddiford and Jim Reeves, GravityLight is a breakthrough lighting system that harnesses the power of gravity. Yes. The concept is so devilishly simple yet no one has thought of it before. By hooking a weight onto a flat, egg-shaped device (which reminds you of EVE in Wall-E), GravityLight produces thirty minutes worth of illumination from a mere 3-second effort.
What this means is that developing countries with no access to power don’t have to rely on candles or kerosene lamps anymore. No more paying for kerosene needed to fuel the lamps, inadvertently eating into the budget of the family. The light is purely clean and green.
And there’s no need to depend on expensive solar cells either whose batteries have to be replaced every once in a while and do not always harness the sun’s energy efficiently. The truth is not all depressed villages in Third World countries are privileged to be installed with their very own solar panels. Well-meaning donations don’t reach everyone who needs it.
Which is why GravityLight is even more relevant in today’s world. It’s certainly saddening to realize that despite all the technology we have at hand, somewhere in a faraway land people can’t even enjoy something as basic and essential as a light bulb.
More importantly, the light given off by GravityLight is a comfortable white light that’s considerably easier on the eyes compared to the harsh yellow glow of kerosene lamps. Every night poor families in developing countries have to put up with this; they’ve grown used to it. Kids study and read their books under this harsh light as if it’s nothing, simply because they have no choice. But now there is something better.
Right now, GravityLight is asking for your donations. For just $25, you get to sponsor a GravityLight to be given to a family somewhere in India or Africa. For $50 or more, you also get one to use at your home. Hopefully this crowdfunding pans out because if there’s anything the world needs more of these days aside from peace and love, it’s light. The literal, beneficial kind.
Read more about GravityLight: lighting for developing countries here: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/282006.
