The basic solar-powered LED home lighting system consists of:
Each LED lamp contains a single diode - the highest quality currently available. Both lights are equipped with a dimmer switch, which allows them to operate in either high brightness or low brightness mode.
The 5-watt solar panels are extremely durable and rated for approximately 80% of initial output after 20 years. Each solar panel comes with three meters of cable such that they can be mounted in the most effective locations possible. At the ends of these cables are connectors which plug directly into the charge controller, which is responsible for regulating the system and cutting it off once the battery voltage drops to 12 volts. After shutting down, the charge controller permits the lights to operate again after the panel has brought the voltage of the battery back up to 12.4 volts. This action of the charge controller simply prolongs the lifespan of the battery, and ensures that the system is functioning at its maximum capacity.
The only part of the system that will require regular replacement is the battery. Based on the system's design, the battery may last, on average, for two years if it fully discharged everyday. 12V/7Ah sealed lead acid batteries are available in many countries.
When the system is fully charged, it can provide up to 9 lamp hours per day on full brightness (4.5 hours per lamp) or up to 28 lamp hours of light using the dim function (these estimates are based on 4.8 peak sun hours (PSH). Please contact a LUTW representative for PSH estimations for your location). The ability of the system to fully recharge also depends on the air temperature and humidity where the system is installed.
Light up the World (LUTW) is the first international humanitarian organization dedicated to illuminating the lives of the world's poor by providing affordable, safe, healthy, efficient, and environmentally responsible lighting.
In 1997, Dr. Dave Irvine-Halliday, a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Calgary, had the vision to use LED lighting to bring practical, economical, and environmentally safe lighting to the developing world. While on sabbatical in Nepal, Dave visited local villages and was struck by the poor conditions of the people. Most of them were relying on kerosene lamps which produced little light and filled the homes with dangerous smoke. As the annual income of the Nepalese villagers averaged $200 USD, Dr. Irvine-Halliday realized that there was a great need for simple, safe, healthy, affordable and rugged lighting.
Dave had been working with LEDs for more than two decades, and spent most of 1997 and 1998 trying to make an acceptable white light from various combinations of colored indicator LEDs. He made white light but it was simply not bright enough to be of any practical use in the developing world. Nichia, a Japanese company, had invented a bright White LED a few years earlier and Dave immediately requested samples. The 'eureka' moment occurred when Dave lit his first White Light Emitting Diode.
In 1999, Dr. Irvine-Halliday and his wife, Jenny, tested their prototype WLED lamps in a number of Nepali villages and the response from the villagers was so absolutely positive that they knew what they'd be doing with the rest of their lives. In 2000, they returned to Kathmandu and with the assistance of their Nepali friend, Muni Raj Upadhyaya, lit the first four villages in the world with WLED lighting, thus laying the pioneering origins for the development of LUTW into a global lighting initiative.
Together with Ken Robertson, Roy Moore and Pauline Cummings, Light Up The World was established as a legal entity in 2002. From a singular idea born among the poor, LUTW has grown into a global humanitarian organization reaching out to even the remotest areas of the world.
Through generous support from interested individuals, corporations, host country organizations, international foundations and industrial partners, LUTW has brought light to more than 25,000 homes in 51 different countries throughout the developing world from Afghanistan to Zambia. Over 300,000 people have been impacted directly by this new and innovative approach to development.
Publicly available: yes
Countries where available: Worldwide
Available online: yes
Countries where spare parts can be purchased: Contact manufacturer