Here Comes the Sun: Solar Powered Tuki

According to the World Bank 1.6 billion people, who mostly live in rural villages, use kerosene based wicked lamps for light due of lack of electricity or unable to afford it. Kerosene is not only expensive for those who’s income is limited and unreliable, but has adverse effects on health.
The homes lacking electricity consist of one or two rooms. They are huts constructed of mud, cow dung and straw, with ceilings and walls covered with black soot from the use of wicked lamps. A majority of these huts lack windows causing smoke to be trapped within. It’s hard to imagine how families, who spend as many as four to six hours at night, manage to breath the thick heavy air.

Progress is being made by the efforts of organizations like Selco, based in India and Nepal’s Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) Both promote renewable and clean technologies. ECCA sells it’s Solar Tuki (tuki means light in Nepalese) in various rural regions of Nepal. The Solar Tuki won the international competition “Global Development Marketplace: of the World Bank” in 2005. The Solar Tuki package (seen above) aims to replace kerosene based wicked lamps with solar photovoltaic charged lamps. It’s goal is to increase the quality of the rural village population along with reducing environmental pollution.

The Tuki package, sells for $50 and is at times bought on installments through mobilization of local saving and credit groups. To date more then 6,000 Nepalese households have displaced kerosene lamps by the solar tuki and more are in the process of being sold as demand is greater then supply.
The package consists of two Tuki light units each containing four LED’s, and one 3 watt solar panel which measures 7’ x 10” able to prove three hours of power; e.g. it can provide two hours of light or power a radio, and fully charge one mobile phone. More importantly is comes with a five year warranty which gives people confidence that their investment is safe.