The slums of the Philippines are getting an extreme home makeover in the form of two liter bottles in their ceilings. The bottles function as 60-watt lights powered by 100% solar energy. Refraction is an amazing thing, if you drilled a hole in your ceiling light would drop directly through the opening in a straight line casting a shadow on the ground in the shape of the hole. By placing a bottle filled with water into the hole, the light is refracted by the water and emitted at 360 degrees like a light bulb. Light bulbs are taken for granted in America, yet are luxury item for the Philippines slums. The two liter bottles filled with water and a small amount of bleach to keep algae from growing, act as a light in the often-unlit slums.
The initiative in the Philippines to provide these lights to those who need them is known as “A liter of light”. It is estimated that each bottle light will last for about five years, which is more than any store-bought light bulb will do you for.
Its not just the Philippines who are getting on board with liters of light. Many Americans struggling with high utilities bills amidst economic woes are looking for innovative solutions to their financial problems. The liter of light is definitely innovative, extremely functional, affordable (if you get lucky you may be able to dumpster dive and not pay for a thing), and green. So if you’re thinking your garage is looking a little dark, then you might want to try out some liters of light out for yourself to see if they live up to the hype.
It’s rare that the simplicity of a project or initiative shocks me with its sublime form and function, yet this is one of those projects. I hope you enjoy “A liter of light” as much as I have, be sure to check out the videos below for additional information and demonstration.
Here are the instruction how to make a Solar Water Bottle Light Bulb.
