Wisdom

Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light)

Do you know that millions of families still live in the dark? Many of the worlds poor live in dark houses without electricity or without the money to pay for lighting. According to statistics from the National Electrification Commission in 2009, 3 million households still remain powerless outside Metro Manila. And even in the metro, families still continue to live in darkness.

Now, thanks to a project called Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light), by MyShelter Foundations. The foundation was established by a young Filipino entrepreneur, Illac Diaz, to create employment-generating projects using sustainable technologies to better the lives of the underprivileged there.

The program Isang Litrong Liwanag, aims to bring sustainable lighting to the poor in the Philippines using one-liter bottles of water embedded in roofs, with a goal to light a million homes by 2012. So far, more than 10,000 of the bottle lights have been installed across metropolitan Manila and the nearby province of Laguna in the last three months through the efforts of low income communities, local governments and 200 volunteers.

solar bottle bulbs

Designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the recipe is simple: water-filled soda bottles are installed through a cutout in a roof, with chlorine added to the water to prevent clouding, and the bottle is sealed to the roof to prevent leaking.

Once it’s all done the refracted light is powerful enough to brighten up a home. Light reflected from 1 bottle is equivalent to 55 to 60 watts of electric bulb, for almost ten months of the year.

This project helps some of the poorest Philippines residents save money and live better, in a renewable way. Hopefully this idea will reach the disprivileged communities worldwide.

Thanks to Iu-Lung to sharing this link. Like Isang Litrong Liwanag on facebook and check out the video below to see how this smart, low-tech solution works like charm: