How did the idea of the solar lantern first came about?
Before the project started evidence of the need for a Solar Lanterns was emerging from
a number of sources. First of all, studies involving the energy needs of poor people in
developing countries, pointed to the need for de-centralised local solutions which take
advantage of renewable energy sources and are affordable. Secondly and more importantly,
studies by the World Bank identified the need and demand for reliable Solar Rechargebale
Lanterns in Africa as a means of providing house hold lighting, which would be acessiable
to many more people than expensive solar home systems.
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How long has Practical Action Consulting (ITC) been working on it?
After securing funding for the project, work began in earnest in 1997 with survey work
being carried out by project partners to find out what customers in Kenya really wanted
from a Solar Lantern.
That allowed us to put together a detailed specification which was the starting point
for the design work, both of the electronics and the components for the lantern housing.
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Who will make the lamps?
The Lanterns will be made by Sollatek - a company with a long history in providing
solar technology to developing countries.
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What about spare parts (e.g. the bulbs) – are they readily available?
We have chosen all of the components carefully with availability of spare parts in mind
and here we have been guided by our manufacturing partners overseas. We have also had to
bear in mind however that the market for such components is changing rapidly. As a result
we have been careful not to choose components that are available now but may not be
available in a few years time.
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How much will the lanterns sell for? Will they be subsidised at all?
The current cost of a Solar Home System (that is a Solar Panel, a battery, charge
controller and a system of lights that can be wired into a home, is around £250. This is
out of the reach of most rural families in Africa. The Glowstarn is designed as a cheaper
alternative to a Solar home system and will £65 - £85 depending on the import duty of
the country.
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How does this compare with average expenditure on kerosene or batteries?
African families spend typically £4 - 5 per month on kerosine, candles and dry cell
batteries for much poorer quality light.
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Won’t there be a problem of initial capital cost (unlike kerosene or batteries,
which are a recurrent cost)?
The target price of £65, even though it represents a saving in the long term, will
still be outside the reach of many people, so during the marketing phase of the project we
will be looking at how we can use mechanisms such as farmers co-operative credit schemes,
and group lending schemes to help people spread the cost of the initial outlay.
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Where will the lamps be sold?
The lanterns will be sold through established outlets for Solar Products and other
household goods. These are typically small electrical shops and hardware stores such as
can be found in many small towns. Some suppliers will have a network of outlets such as
petrol stations and battery service depots and we expect to make use of these as well.
We realise that even with all these networks we may still not reach all of our
potential customers in Kenya, so we plan to implement a marketing strategy that will use
networks of rural agents or travelling salesmen to help push sales of the Solar Lantern
right into rural areas at village level.
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How many would you realistically expect to sell?
The target for the initial phase of the project is 30,000 lanterns over the lifetime of
the project in Kenya. However the lanterns will be sold in other regions of Africa as well
as the Asia, so total sales could be much, much higher.
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Will Practical Action Consulting receive any profits, or will these all go to the manufacturers and retailers?
Practical Action Consulting will receive a small royalty on each lantern produced which will help recover some
of the investment made in the development of Glowstar. These funds will be used to develop
further renewable energy products for the African and Asian markets.
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Are solar lanterns a new invention, or are they used anywhere else in the world? If so,
what modifications / improvements have you made?
Solar lanterns are not a new idea and a number of companies have produced them. Many
are designed for the leisure market and few can withstand the harsh environment to be
found in Africa. Many suffer from poor design and the use poor quality components as a
means of cutting costs. The Glowstar is designed to meet the requirement for a reliable
and robust product for the Africa and Asian market. We feel that we have arrived at
a design that is robust, simple to use and maintain, and above all gives good quality and
good duration of light.
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How long will the lantern run for when it is fully charged?
On a full charge the lantern will give light for 4 - 5 hours, which is slightly more
than our customers asked for. If the lantern is used to power a small radio without the
lamp then it will give 15 hours listening time. If both the lamp and the radio are used
together of course the listening and lamp time will be shorter.
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Will it work even on a cloudy day?
Photo voltaic panels can still provide charge even when there is cloud cover so the
lantern can still be charged on a cloudy day. Of course the charge time may be slightly
longer then.
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