The Power To Change Lives
Solar and wind-up lighting will soon be available to Africa’s poorest people, thanks to a new deal between Philips and the Dutch government.
The Netherlands is aiming to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by supplying sustainable lighting to its poorest citizens. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) between Eindhoven-based Philips and the Dutch government will see the development of a new generation of solar- and man-powered lighting, in order to help fulfil the UN’s eight Millennium Development Goals to cut poverty by 2015.
An estimated 500 million Africans currently live without electricity, relying instead on candles or kerosene lamps. Kerosene prices have risen dramatically in recent years however, meaning that for many, life simply comes to a stop after dark, impacting upon quality of life: children can’t do their homework; work and other economic activities come to a halt.
As Gerard Kleisterlee, president and CEO of Philips, explains: “The rural lighting market for low-income people in developing countries is not very well known or explored. It is essential that governments and international organisations such as NGOs, the World Bank and various companies get together to work out appropriate business models.”
While the Dutch government will focus on providing support for market development and project management, Philips will work on developing an appropriate range of products. The solar Uday lantern, for example, is a portable compact lighting system, powered by a solar panel and built-in battery pack, which provides 250 lumens (the equivalent of 250 candles) when charged in the sun for a day. The Uday is complemented by a wind-up LED torch that provides 17 minutes of lighting for every two minutes’ winding.
Philips is also working on affordable solar LED lighting systems that will offer high-quality white light at the lowest possible cost, a development that’s expected to bear fruit in 2009.
www.philips.com
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