Nokero just introduced the solar light bulb. The bulb uses 200 times less energy than a kerosene lamp and provides five times as much light.
It is made from impact-resistant plastic, four solar panels, a replaceable rechargeable battery and five light-emitting diodes (LEDs). It is about the size of a standard light bulb and can withstand tough outdoor conditions.
- Over two hours of light per typical daily charge**
- Up to four hours of light once fully charged**
- Two-plus years of battery life**
- Safety hook for hanging
- Rainproof
- Night-only protection circuit protects from
accidental daytime usage
Coming from Hong Kong, the world’s first solar-powered LED lightbulb costs about $15. The company’s goal is to go after the kerosene lamps market but the price might be prohibitive to the developing world and for aid agencies in disaster zones. On the other hand, anyone with a patio or into camping could find the alternative worth it.
I am in for one. I have just installed a gazebo in my backyard and was considering bringing electricity there so I could use some light in the evening. This might just be the cheaper alternative – and it’s green.
Would you use a solar light bulb and if yes what for?
I did use a solar lighting system for a while – this one had a small solar panel (6″ x 12″) that charged batteries in a motion activated light. A bit like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Maxsa-Solar-Powered-Motion-Activated-Security-Bright/dp/B000CEE2WQ
only mine had two floodlight bulbs.
Using LED bulbs makes a lot of sense – need smaller solar cell, and less battery.
The design of this solar light bulb is somewhat odd though. The four panels are distributed so that only a couple could be in direct sunlight at a time except in the tropics where the sun is directly overhead. But in the tropics you’d want them angled much closer to horizontal to get good yield.
My verdict: neat idea – but I hope version 2 is designed to work better.
Thanks Tony for your feedback, you might have a point there. Although the sun exposure is so intense there that it might still cover the four panels even though they are not horizontal. As a former Quality Assurance engineer, I have a hard time believing that these guys did not test their product in the market they are after. But who knows. When I get my bulb, I’ll do some lab testing