A practical solution

According to a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor, nearly 100,000 villages in India exist without electricity. The 80 million of those villagers are part of a world, inhabited by nearly 1.5 billion people who cannot "turn the lights on" after dusk. These people are limited, unable to read, or do much of anything once the sun goes down. Those who can afford lighting use kerosene lamps, an inefficient, and for some, expensive method of lighting their homes.

Enter a Non-Governmental Organization, the Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation. This group, as part of the Dignity through Electricity Program, are working to bring light to these villagers in a way that is cheaper and less harmful to the environment. This group has designed lamps, which utilize LEDs (light emitting diodes) run on solar energy. They cost $55 to install (a cost picked up by the Foundation) and provide lamps to these people, which are charged by the sun and have four hours of light.

The benefits to these lamps are countless. It's nearly 200 times more efficient than kerosene (50 times more efficient than a 100 watt bulb for that matter) and are much better environmentally. Moreover, they are cost neutral. They last for years, saving energy and money. What villagers spent on kerosene can be saved and invested in other ways, such as paying for school materials for children.

A problem for the Foundation is importation of LEDs. Currently, they are produced in China and shipped to India. Should the NGO grow and be capable of building their lamps in India, the cost of a lamp would drop from $55 to and estimated $22. It would also bring jobs, growing the economy.

Joining the Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation is the Studylite lamp, recently profiled in Wired magazine. These provide 6 hours of light and run on 24 LED bulbs. These lamps are expensive, costing $33. Should a NGO become involved, these could also be an affordable solution.

This work, a practical alternative energy solution solves a real problem experienced by people on the other side of the world. It's easy to see how much capacity could be built by increasing the hours light is available to these people. Should you be interested in more, their website is www.suryabijlee.com.