OPENLIGHT

Since this week, we are able to show what we were talking about these last weeks in India for the project to open light in India.

The first new prototypes are working. The lamps shown in the picture is the new LED lamp we will bring into the villages from this week onwards. The lamp is build to replace kerosine. It is just enough light to read with but still only sufficient to replace kerosine. This small lamp is exactly what is needed in the villages where they still rely on kerosine. The size and quality make it a trustworthy lamp which is more affordable than kerosine. Also health, fire risk and wind issues are no longer there. Now still in the lab in Jabalpur, India. Soon more news about the light in context!

After almost two weeks in India, it is time to give an update on what is happening in India. February 28th, I left for India to open light in India. With almost 400.000.000 million people depending on Kerosine for light (very atmospheric, but expensive, unhealthy and inconvenient) I set out to see whether we create a new approach towards off-grid energy solution to deliver small LED lamps to rural villages. Basically we need to find a way to share the surpluses of energy we get from solar panels in the summer so that we have enough to overcome the winter.

Based on the ‘creating rural energy’ project, I went together with a technological expert and an organization & strategy expert to Jabalpur, M.P. where we work in an office at the Xidas Institute. This institute is helping us with reaching the villages and developing the right economic schemes to keep the people in the villages motivated but to gain enough monthly fee to keep the system economically vital.

This week we selected a rural village which has no electricity. From 22th of March onwards, we will start to bring a solar panel, 10 solar lamps and ‘sharing cubes’ to the village. These cubes need to be filled with the surpluses of energy which a local entrepreneur can sell to a local shop. In the winter he can buy his shortage of energy in this same local shop. If we are able to design the system (with local co development) in such a way that the local entrepreneur understands the sharing of energy, we are able to bring LED light to the villagers with better properties than kerosine and for a lower monthly price. Local Indian NGO’s start to show interest and a Delhi based company shows interest in producing more LED lamps and sharing cubes. All very promising; if the next two months turn out to be successful!

Marcel van Heist, 09-03-2012, Jabalpur, India