Solar LED Lantern Alternatives to Kerosene in the Developing World

T. Patrick Walsh tpwalsh@uiuc.edu tpwalsh@uiuc edu November 1, 2006

Badakamandara, courtesy of Maren Somers

Students should learn about and practice engineering i th d i i in the developing world. l i ld
For F many practical reasons: ti l Workable problems are easy to find find. Results are more tangible.

Costs are extremely low. Funding is much easier to acquire acquire.

How We Got Started:

Biofuel for Power Generation in Off Grid Orissa Off-Grid
Cost of a liter of diesel fuel: $1 Daily wage of a laborer (work outdoors, temperatures reaching 115F): 115F) 80
Seeds Oil Press Solar Seed Dryer S l S dD Modified Diesel Generator

Phase One: Talking

Phase Two: Staring

Phase Three: Building a foundation

Phase Four: Arrested

Phase Five: More work or a nap

Phase Six: Frustration

Phase Seven: Patience

Phase Eight: Progress

Phase Nine: Mouse Eats Progress

Phase Ten: Still Staring

Phase Eleven: Monsoon

Phase Twelve: Success

Phase Thirteen: Hospitalization

Our New Venture: Solar-Panel-Charged, Battery-Powered LED Lanterns g y

Over one billion people have little or no access to an electrical grid. Oil lamps are often their main source of light light.

The goal: A cheaper, healthier, safer, cleaner t h l l technology.

Why hasnt somebody done this already?

F lack of an efficient low-power li htb lb For l k f ffi i t l lightbulb, solar lanterns were too expensive.

The bulk of the cost of solar lanterns is in supplying and storing energy using a solar panel and battery battery.

Applicable lightbulbs must be: Low voltage (<12 volts) Direct current Low power (<2 watts)

Low-power Incandescents p
Very inefficient (as low as 2 lumens/watt) T ibl for batteries Terrible f b tt i But, the only available option until 10 y years ago g

Compact Fluorescents
Great Efficiency (30 to 70 lumens per watt watt, which is 10x the efficiency of incandescents) But unfortunately, CFLs are not scalable to low-power output l t t

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

Highly efficiencient (Right now: >30 lumens per watt @ 1 watt) Last forever (Five or ten years, continuously) Are well suited to battery power

(LEDs courtesy of Nick Holonyak, UIUC Prof. ECE)

Cost-Benefit Basics
Kerosene hurricane lanterns: $3 Last 2.5 years Burn $1.25 in kerosene per month

Lasts five years w/ new $4 battery every twenty months years, months. Long-term cost-of-ownership: 65% less than kerosene lantern S l l t Solar lantern t target price: $20 t i

Target price is not based on long-term cost of ownership, but on the more limiting factor for: up-front cost.

Lanterns are a necessity, because

There are scary bugs in India!

The Goal: $20 Lanterns

This Thi one from China: $28 in medium quantities (>100 units) f Chi i di titi it )
Cost of kerosene is on the rise. Cost of LEDs is on the decline. C f **Efficiency of LEDs is on the rise.

The challenge is distribution in bulk.

March, 2005:

Lantern: $ $28 Low-quantity markup: $2 Freight: $ g $124 Bank cost: $50 Wire transfer: $35

Three totally astonished kids

priceless

The Plan:
Already Recieved R i d

$10,000 phase-one grant from the U.S. EPA

Academic A d i Year 2006-07

Design prototype and run trials: 100 lanterns to Design lanterns, be built by our partner in India, and tested after the 2006 monsoon monsoon.

Academic Year 2007-08

Using $75,000 phase-two EPA grant, plus additional grants and financing, (let us know if you are i t interested) raise $250k t manufacture t d) i to f t 10,000 units, going on sale Q2 2008.

How can high school students participate?

By interacting directly with communities abroad Mondialogo School Contest (www.mondialogo.org) By preparing to do engineering in the developing world in college and beyond Hands-on technical experience Coursework: physics, engineering, Coursework: physics general engineering business

<$12,000 (!)

Thanks: To Dr. Brian Lilly and Dr. Bruce Litchfield at the University of Illinois, to Engineers Without Borders U.S.A., and to AID-Orissa at the Jagannath USA Institute for Technology and Management

Contact: T. Patrick Walsh tpwalsh@uiuc.edu

(312) 498-3210