Origins: The Solar Bottle Lamp
In 2002, Alfredo Moser invented the transformative bulb bottle that lights up houses in the absence of electricity - using nothing more than plastic bottles filled with water and a little bit of bleach
According to BBC News, the inspiration for the "Moser lamp" came to him during the time of the country's frequent electricity blackouts in 2002. “The only places that had energy were the factories, not people's houses” – he said.
Therefore, Moser and his friends began to wonder how they would raise the alarm, in case of an emergency, such as a small plane coming down, imagining a situation in which they had no matches. His boss at the time suggested getting a discarded plastic bottle, filling it with water and using it as a lens to focus the sun's rays on dry grass. That way one could start a fire, as a signal to rescuers. This idea stuck in Moser's head - he started playing around, filling up bottles and making circles of refracted light (Source: BBC News).
Soon he had developed the solar bottle lamp. In the last two years his innovative idea has been adopted, improved and spread across many of the world's poorest cities and slums, to help brighten up the lives of those who live without basic access to electricity.
How it Works?
Moser's solar bulb bottles are filled with a mixture of water and bleach which are then installed on the roof of homes to act as their light source.
Operating based on the refraction of light in water, a single bottle can light a room of up to about 50 square meters. It emits light similar to a 40–60 watt incandescent bulb inside of the house for more than 12 hours a day when there is sunlight. One solar bottle bulb helps prevent up to 200 kilos of carbon emissions and can keep working for as long as three years!
How is Starlight Different?
Starlight functions exactly the same as Moser's solar bottle during the day. However, Moser's bottle lamp has its limitation during the evening as the sun begins to set. Therefore, Starlight in short is an improved version of Moser's idea, made to break the barrier that prevents the innovation from fulfilling its full potential.
Starlight comes in a box complete with easy-to-understand instructions on how to assemble the parts in the box by yourself. The box contains a recycled plastic bottle, a galvanised steel plate, a bleach sachet, and a sealant. It also comes with 3 small LED light bulbs which are attached to a simple circuit and solar panel that converts stored energy from sunlight into the battery. The mechanism can be installed into the bottle. The LED light is set to automatically alight in the lack of sunlight but still comes with an in-built on and off switch. Starlight is able to provide 12 to 16 hours of illumination.
Starlight is self-sufficient and will help create a brighter life and future for underprivileged who are living with extremely poor conditions in areas of poverty.
With the rising carbon emissions contributing to global warming, and a big portion of it coming from the burning of fossil fuels to provide electricity, it is very important for us to switch to sustainable energy sources.
Poverty across the globe has lead to many family illnesses, our project aims to look into providing a helping hand to the poor using sustainable methods.
By donating these recyclable solar bottle bulbs, we can help ease the day-to-day activities of the people who lack access to such a basic element of life at home and tackle the reliance on electricity as a main source of energy. Starlight is a global movement that hopes to bring more awareness to two major occurring problems today.
