Lighting up rural communities

Light, something the developed world takes for granted, is a luxury beyond the reach of over 1.3 billion people around the world.

For rural homes unconnected to the electricity grid in developing countries, light is more than a commodity, it is an absolute necessity. Clean, affordable and available light improves quality of life, advances education, health, safety and the livelihoods of rural communities.

Villagers relying on costly and polluting diesel and kerosene lamps now have an alternative in DLRE’s LED Green Lantern, a magnesium-sea water powered light source that even provides a USB port to charge mobile devices, which are widespread, even amongst rural communities.

The LED Green Lantern is easy to use and durable, only requiring sea water and affordable magnesium rods. To use, salt water has to be added to each of the two cells, and the lantern will continue to work as long as the salt water is replaced every 8 hours, until the magnesium rod is depleted after about 100 hours.

Lack of lighting is a major hindrance to economic progress and development

Utilising fuel cell technology, with a very affordable magnesium rod acting as an anode and sea water as an electrolyte, a single USD3 magnesium rod providing over 100 hours of light, far more cost effective than either kerosene lamps or normal battery-powered lamps.

The waterproof, floating lamp can also be used by fishermen to attract fish.

Comparison of Green Lantern to conventional technology