d.light design’s goal is to make kerosene lanterns extinct as soon as possible. Why do they want to do this? They think they have a lighting solution that provides a safer, brighter and more affordable light to the widely-used kerosene lantern.
You’re probably saying to yourself, “But, I don’t own a kerosene lantern”. You’re right. But, according to d.light, about 1.6 billion people around the world depend on kerosene lanterns as their only lighting source.
Where do these 1.6 billion people live? Mostly in rural and urban areas that don’t have regular access to electricity.
Here are some strong reasons for eradicating kerosene lanterns pulled from d.light’s site:
Improved Health
Reduction of indoor air pollution, which causes acute lower respiratory infections, one of the biggest killers among children under 5 in India.
Access to Education
We will offer higher quality and brighter light for children to read by.Saved Lives
Kerosene causes thousands of fires and burns annually.More Savings
The average rural household in India spends 7.4% of their income on fuel and lighting, over three times more than is spent on education.Higher Income
UNDP studies demonstrate that families with access to improved lighting have up to a 30% increase in income levels due to increased productivity at night.
So, what’s their big solution to the kerosene epidemic? It’s simple… LED lights (aka light-emitting diodes).
However, they’re not any old LED lights. Their LED lights have been tested over and over with real families living in the harshest of off-the-grid locations. The d.light team spent months and months perfecting what batteries to use, back-up power sources and different configurations.
They’re goal wasn’t to create only a brighter light but one that was durable and extremely affordable. And, one that could be easily manufactured and distributed all over the world.
Here are some of their light’s features pulled from their site:
Bright Light
Providing 10-20 times more light than a kerosene lantern.World’s Highest Efficiencies
30-50% more efficient than compact fluorescent lights.Long Lasting Power
Proprietary circuitry provides a minimum of 5 hours of light at the highest setting and over 200 hours of light at the lowest setting.Flexible Charging
Charges by portable solar panel. Also, 110V or 220V AC charging available as a backup.Battery Life Indicator
Indicator light signals level of battery charge, allowing customers to optimize usage.
The d.light was created by Sam Goldman (now CEO) and some Stanford students. After coming up with some prototypes, Sam and some fellow grad students at his MBA program presented their light venture at the 2007 Global Social Venture Competition (GSVB) and won 1st place.
This CNN article has some great additional info on the GSVB competition they won. After the competition, they went on to attract funding from top venture capital firms like Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
I’m hugely impressed with d.light’s effective and singular focus on eradicating one problem. Not only that, they are providing an affordable and highly beneficial solution to people living in underdeveloped areas. Plus, they are running this whole thing as a for-profit business.
Companies like this inspire me. You can read more about d.light at the blog Sam writes over at Social Edge or by perusing d.light’s site.
