An Essential Part of Daily Life
Electric Lights - Europe vs Africa
August 14, 2003, is day that many citizens of Canada and the United States will never forget. It was on this day that one the largest power outages in history occurred. It was on this day that many of us realized just how much we take electricity for granted and how dependent on electricity we have become as a society. Suddenly, unexpectedly, air conditioning, televisions, telephones, stoves, and traffic signals ceased to function.
Fortunately, the wide spread nature of this incident has not occurred again. Yet this situation is an everyday occurrence in many parts of the world. For example, in Africa, during the rainy season, you can expect the electricity to fail at least once a day for hours or days at a time. And this does not account for places like Kenya where drought has reduced production from hydroelectric plants reducing the availability of electricity to only 4-5 days each week. That of course assumes that electricity is available in any form. Much of Africa and central Asia not do have any access to electricity at all. In these places in the world, the only light available at night comes from fires, torches, or flashlights and even these are problematic. Fire is not easily portable and can be dangerous. Traditional flashlights run on batteries that run down quickly and are expensive or impossible to replace. With generating capacity and transmission infra-structure decades away, what can be done in the short term to address this situation?
SN-2 Flashlight
The SN-2 and the MiniBogo
One company that is working in this area is SunNight Solar Enterprises of Houston, TX. Through grants from the Rockefeller Foundation and assistance from the NASA Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program, SunNight Solar has developed a rugged, dependable, solar rechargeable line of flashlights (SN-2 and MiniBogo) certified for use in third-world environment. The SN-2 model is a 2nd generation design utilizing 3 NiMH AA batteries that recharge via the built in solar panel and only need to be replaced every 2-3 years. By simply setting the flashlight in the sun for ~8hrs, the batteries are fully charged providing 4-5 hours of reading quality light. Both lights utilize high quality white LED lights with life expectancies of 10+ years. The light also features a carbiner style hook on the end to allow it be easily suspended from a nail or rope from the ceiling. This 2nd generation design, unlike its predecessor (the SL-1) includes 6 power settings to maximize battery life depending on the specific needs of the user. (See full specifications for the SN-2)
Personal Testimony
While it is true that the foregoing discussion does sound like a TV infomercial, it sounds that way because I have used SunNight Solar flashlights for almost 3 years and I am completely sold on this product. My family and I are heading out to Kenya as missionaries in the next few months. As a part of our preparation, we attended the HEART Missionary Training Institute in the fall of 2007 (See the November 17 posting for further information re. HEART.) The training took place in the context of third-world village with virtually no electricity. There were no indoor or outdoor lighting of any kind except for white gas lanterns. So flashlights were a necessity if you had to do anything after dark. Just before leaving for our trip, I discovered the SL-1 solar rechargeable flashlight on the web. Over the course of the 15 weeks were there, all of the other flashlights people had brought along slowly disappeared. They either could not take the punishment of the rugged environment or were too expensive to maintain in batteries. The only flashlights that remained throughout the entire 15 weeks were our two SL-1s. Each morning we would lay them out in the sun, and every night they would be fully charged ready for use, including reading books. They were the single best investment we made in preparation for our training and we are still using them almost everyday at home. My wife and I are so convinced, were have purchased an SN-2 for each of our family members and one for our vehicle for use in Kenya when we arrive.
Social Responsibility
African Boy w/ SunNight Solar Light
In addition to providing a excellent product, SunNight Solar has partnered with a number of NGOs (both secular and faith-based) in order to provide affordable lighting in some of the most needy parts of the world. They do this through a number of avenues. First, when you purchase a SN-2 or a MiniBogo, you have the opportunity to provide an additional light to an organization of your choice at a reduced rate. For example, if you purchase a SN-2 for $39.99, for additional $19.01 you can provide one additional light to an NGO. Second, you can contribute money for shipping lights around the world: 1 – $6.95, 2-$10.95, 3-$13.95. Third, you can buy an entire case of 50 MiniBogo lights at a reduced rate (50 for $750.00 or $15.00 each – Normally, $19.99). Thus, you can help individually or work together on a group project. Either way will give the gift of light in some of the darkest places in the world.
Needless to say, I think this one of the best products on the market with great potential for use at home and helping to meet the needs of people all over the world. If you would to know about my experiences with the SunNight Solar flashlights just drop me a line at dave@forthemultitude.org.
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