The “Lighting a Billion Lives” scheme by The Energy and Resources Institute in Delhi bring a new light into the lives of millions of rural Indians. Under this scheme, as many as 5,000 solar lanterns have already been distributed across nine states in India, while plans are to ultimately to put 200 million lamps into use. The use of these solar-powered lanterns will set aside the use inefficient kerosene or paraffin lamps that cause environmental hazards.
The solar lanterns are charged during the daytime using a communal rooftop solar panel. It has an eight-hour backup battery that illuminates the lamp, which requires some five to seven watts of power. It also boasts a socket for charging mobile phones and a hand crank for topping up the power. Organizers claim that each lamp is capable of working for 10 years and will save 500 to 600 liters of kerosene that would emit nearly 1.5 tons of carbon dioxide.
According to a government survey, more than 10,000 impoverished Indian villages have no access to grid electricity, so the LaBL scheme will bring a solar revolution for the villagers. The villages of India will still see hustle and bustle even after the sun sets. Power cuts are also common with smarter suburb of India; the solar lanterns could give a helping hand to them as well.
