Dinesh Kamath's news item 'City bikers to distribute solar lanterns among villagers' that was published in Newsband

City bikers to distribute solar lanterns among villagers

By Dinesh Kamath

(Above) Solar Lantern

NAVI MUMBAI: Some bikers of Navi Mumbai will be visiting a village near the city on November 10 and here they will distribute solar lanterns among the villagers. Distributing of solar lanterns is being done as a part of the campaign ‘Light Up India’. This project will help some villages to get lit up within few months.

The people of the city are lucky to be in a position to use electricity to the extent they want. But in villages, the poor villagers have to spend their nights in darkness. The project will also help in cutting down fuel expenses and to generate light with the help of solar method.

Thus these bikers are mixing their love for riding activity with a social cause and they enjoy the support of online media, newspaper, TV and other mediums. Their idea of lighting up the villages is commendable and deserves to be lauded. They are indeed doing a yeomen service to the society. Any member of the society who wish to join these bikers are free to do so. They will be briefed about how to go about with this social work. They will be informed about the places they will have to visit, villagers they will have to mix with and distribute the solar lanterns to.

Many people are showing keen interest in this solar lamp and would like to know as much as possible about it. So here is some information about a typical solar lamp or lantern:

A solar lamp is a portable light fixture composed of an LED lamp, a photovoltaic solar panel, and a rechargeable battery. Outdoor lamps may have lamp, solar panel and battery integrated in one unit. Indoor solar lamps with separately-mounted solar panels are used for general illumination where centrally generated power is not conveniently or economically available. Solar-powered household lighting may displace light sources such as kerosene lamps, saving money for the user, and reducing fire and pollution hazards.

Solar lamps recharge during the day. Automatic outdoor lamps turn on at dusk and remain illuminated overnight, depending on how much sunlight they receive during the day.

Solar garden lights are used for decoration, and come in a wide variety of designs. They are sometimes holiday-themed and may come in animal shapes. They are frequently used to mark footpaths or the areas around swimming pools. Some solar lights do not provide as much light as a line-powered lighting system, but they are easily installed and maintained, and provide a cheaper alternative to wired lamps.

Solar street lights provide public lighting without use of an electrical grid; they may have individual panels for each lamp of a system, or may have a large central solar panel and battery bank to power multiple lamps.

To reduce the overall cost of a solar lighting system, energy saving lamps of either the fluorescent or LED lamp type are used, since incandescent bulbs consume several times as much energy for a given quantity of light.

In rural India, solar lamps, commonly called solar lanterns, using either LEDs or CFLs, are being used to replace kerosene lamps. Cheapest Solar Lantern aims to displace Kerosene Lamps. The newest solar lantern is dubbed as "The Kerosene Killer." That's because it is the cheapest, relatively high quality solar lantern on the market. An attempt is being made by some people in the world to wipe kerosene lamps from the face of the planet for awhile now, and they might have just come out with something that could do the trick. If the specs are on target, there's no reason why this lantern can't replace kerosene lamps on a wide scale.

A typical solar lantern needs 8 hours of sunlight for a full charge (or 4 hours plugged in to AC with a standard Nokia mobile phone adapter). A full charge will provide 8 hours of light on a low setting, which is good for walking outside or socializing, or 4 hours of light on the high setting, which is intended for working, studying and other activities that need bright light. The company also states that the lantern is at least four times brighter than a kerosene lantern, so users aren't giving up lighting quality for off-grid charging capabilities.

The cost of this solar lantern is low. It is really cheap. But apparently it is made to be sturdy and durable. If it is to replace kerosene, it needs to be long-lasting as well as bright and easily rechargeable. But solar lantern is undoubtedly an example of innovative and affordable technology

Since it is being delivered at a low and affordable price, it is bound to become a serious competitor to kerosene and other fuel-based lighting in every rural market.

The cheap price, the high quality light, the durability of the lanterns, and the length of time the battery lasts are all key features for the product to be able to replace kerosene. If any one of them is off, then it won't be the "kerosene killer" that many hope it'll be. But however, replacing kerosene with solar power in a significant way would be a boon for everyone.

Hence one should appreciate the efforts being made by these bikers of Navi Mumbai to illuminate as many villages as possible with the help of solar lanterns. If they succeed in this endeavour, they are bound to inspire many more people and organizations in the country to do the same.