It's pretty rare that a portable solar-based device offers much more utility than impressing your friends, but PiSAT Solar's K-Light won't only make you the coolest kid on your block: it might actually prove useful the next time you take a hike or find yourself hanging out in a developing country. In 10 hours of daylight charging the unit gathers up to 20 hours worth of battery power for use in the low-power 8 LED mode, or 10 hours of life if used in 16 LED mode. It's also switchable between flashlight and lantern modes. That should be great for campers, but where the K-Light really "shines" (so to speak) is in places like Africa, where villagers without electricity often use makeshift kerosene lanterns for light at night. K-Light is designed for up to 10 years of full daily use in such a scenario, and PiSAT is working on an adapter to let the lantern's battery also charge a cellphone. At $50 a pop, the barrier to entry isn't incredibly high, and PiSAT is working with the Koinonia Foundation to provide start-up grants of K-Lights to groups of African women to create local businesses selling the lights. One-off purchases are also available now online for us non-entrepreneurial types.
posted April 29th 2009 10:11PM
A mirror also boasts such a charging ratio.
but the storage times are terrible.
I'm actually more impressed by the cute little tin can oil lamps.
i wonder how good of a phone charger this would be, but its very cool no the less. i cant wait till i can afford solar panels life will be good.
Really this is wonderful. That kind of companies should be subventionned by the government, not those prehistorics cars company.
I want one for myself!
Companies that are doing well don't NEED to be propped up using my money.
Been to Africa? $50 ea. is a pretty high barrier. They don't need cute night lights, they need real lighting to extend their productive time at home.
I thought the same thing. $50 in any African Country is vastly unaffordable. http://www.mbendi.com/cyexch.htm
I however disagree that they need nighttime production enablers... I'd rather see development of technologies that provides cheap to free power and some technology training that enables development of more productive means of production, i.e. machinery to automate some of what they need to accomplish, in an environmental / renewable manner.
Windmills or large solar arrays to they can develop technologes to liberate themselves from sustenance living is a better goal. Nightlight is a charming start. Problem is, the world is not a charitable place, and no one has any intentions of providing African Nations with such generosity. Free Market Capitalism, working at it's best.
The larger problem in Africa has been the Political unrest and inequality. Something has to be done to stailize the factions so not every influx of resource is confiscated by the dicks with the largest guns.
thats the second time you guys used "boasts"...
to bad the lamp cant charge itself with the solar panel.
I think this is a great little light to have around for camping. I will still use a regular old flashlight (princeton tec lights are a good deal for the money) but i see this as a replacement for my 6v lantern. This sounds like it would be bright enough for lighting up a tent, and the charge time is good.
Sounds good for during a hurricane, and the often long aftermath of power outages and clean-up. (I live in South Florida)
That 10 years is only the LED limit. The panel will go longer.
"makeshift kerosene lantern"? Really? What is that, one that doesn't use kerosene?
See the Nescafe and curry tins in the picture above. At it's simplest, a kerosene lantern is just a reservoir of fuel and a wick.
"Africa villagers without electricity often use makeshift kerosene lanterns for light at night" ...... and don't have any money.
They need to think up anew sales pitch.
what about Indian city dwellers, drowning in their own effluence , cant see wood for trees and need solar lighting so they don't step in turd at night.
or Afghan tribesmen can find their wives at night for their ritual beating and could use a solar lamp.
any better?
no not really, but my point is that Africa is not the only place on earth where there is no electricity. And in general , if you've no electricity , you'll be pretty much ignored by the world and you'll not be getting one of these lamps.
I'm glad someone else gets it.
although i dislike some of your expamples you make a good point lol
You can also charge your power ring on it.
I'd like to try one at my cabin in the woods here in N. Canada where nights are loooong and days short. BUT could you READ a book by its light?
Looks a bit like Sun Night
http://www.sunnightsolar.com/
They have had theirs for a little while now and do a BOGO program to ship them to Africa
i read up on the manufacturer and the specs - if crap like this can get so much attention, that's kinda sad for the rest of the world. you're paired with a 1.5W panel (cost = USD$2), a 7.2V NiCd battery (cost = USD$5) claimed 3000 charge cycle), and 16 LEDs - judging from the 1.5W panel configuration it can't be more than 0.3W LEDs and that means you get a little under 5W of power on the LEDs. That translates to approximately 250 lumens - 500 lumens at best, using the latest and greatest LEDs from Japan or Korea. That's the equivalent of a 40W incandescent light bulb which we know barely lights up a room. Moreover, we all experienced LED flashlights and we all know first hand the kind of throw distance they have (a 5W lamp here will have less than 5 meters throw distance). this is just a crap gadget that does not work and extremely over priced.