Bottle Water Light with Tubing and Reflector down the Wall

Received from Roger Stringham, FirstGate in Hawaii:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Roger Stringham
Date: Sat, Aug 13, 2011 at 12:13 PM
Subject: Re: Bottled Water & Bleach Creates Free Light (Video)
To: Catherine Todd


Katie,

I think you should experiment, The bigger the bottle and hole the more light you gather. Funnel it down and attach some transparent plastic tubing so it will reach down to the floor. If you are not using the tubing for close work, hang it on the wall with a reflector.

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My response:

Roger, what a GREAT IDEA to use tubing and a reflector! How did you think of this?

I take it that you are running the same water & bleach solution in the tube? How do you cap off the tube?

I'm going to try this right away when I get back to Guatemala. Know just the spot to test it.

Keep those ideas coming! Katie (Catherine Todd)

A Liter of Light: Solar Bottle Bulbs - INSTRUCTIONS

http://www.crazyengineers.com/solar-bottle-bulbs-provision-for-lighting-in-summer-206/

Solar Bottle Bulbs – Provision For Lighting In Summer
Posted by Shubhankar Deshkar on May 2, 2011

The Scorching heat of the summer is rising now and so is the demand for electricity. As we all know that many rural as well as the urban areas suffer Load-shedding or Power cuts to comply with the available limited generation of electrical energy. Thus the situations worsen especially in the rural areas which suffer a load shedding of more than 10 hours a day. One of the main utilization of the electrical energy is for the purpose of lighting. Without light, no work can be done.

Thus to put an end to the lighting problem, an expert team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has invented the Solar Bottle bulbs. This bulb also facilitates the poor people who cannot afford to buy a legal electricity connection and need light for the mundane household chores. “Isang Litrong Liwanag (A Liter of Light)” is the name of the project and it will help improving the conditions in developing communities like Philippines. It is basically a plastic soda bottle containing a mixture of purified water and chlorine. Chlorine is mixed in the water to increase the life span of the water making it last for 5 years approximately. Distilled water is used in the process to avoid the refraction phenomenon.

Some readily available chemicals are also mixed in the solution and kept in the sunlight to harness the solar energy and then use it at nights when required.

Following materials are used to make a solar bottle bulb:

1.5 liter soda bottle, purified water, chlorine and a rubber sealant, roof sheet material, camera film dispenser*

This is how you can make a solar bottle bulb:

Fill the 1.5 liter bottle with distilled water and add 3 tablespoons of liquid bleach. After this seal the cap tightly.
Make a hole in the 1’X 1’ roof sheet material equal to the circumference of the bottle. Now, insert the bottom part of the bottle and keep it exposed to the sun.

Make a hole in the roof of the house (equal to bottle diameter) to fix this bulb.

Seal the roof with the sealant to avoid water from entering the house via the gaps. The water inside the bottle will refract and scatter the light inside the house causing illumination.

This bulb is capable of producing energy equivalent to a 55 Watt electric bulb. If this source of light is used on a 24 hour basis there will be a 40% saving in the monthly electricity expenses. With the efforts of the Manila city Government, 120 houses were lit up using the “Solar bottle bulbs” in Tondo in the month of April.

It is really a revolutionary effort from the experts of MIT to reach out and benefit even the lowest Strata of the society.

Source: CoolBuster

* Note: I think the camera film dispenser is to keep the bottle cap from degrading in the sun. Where do we get those film dispensers or another item like it now that everyone uses digital cameras? I also saw a video where they simply coated the cap with the same gray caulk they were using around the cut piece of tin roofing material. Purified water and chlorine is to keep moss and algae from growing in the bottle from the water. The bottle lights are estimated to last about five years, and give off up to 55 watts of free energy.

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More info and to donate: http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/

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Also note in this article, salt is added to the solution:

'Bottle bulbs' to provide light to poor
By LEONARD D. POSTRADO
April 14, 2011, 6:34pm
http://www.mb.com.ph/node/314093/bottle-bulb

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/314093/bottle-bulb

"Under the system, each home will be installed with a solar bulb made from a two-liter plastic bottle filled with a solution of water, salt and chlorine that gather and amplify sunlight.

The bottle will act as lens and provide a tremendous amount of interior light equivalent to 55 watts during daytime, so that there is no more need to use electricity."

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Facebook Page: A Liter of Light (Isang Litrong Liwanag)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Liter-of-Light-Isang-Litrong-Liwanag/181127878593329?sk=info

Email
info@aliteroflight.org
Website
http://www.aliteroflight.org

Lighting up a million homes through solar power

From:

Instructions read on one of the comments on their Facebook page:

A Liter of Light (Isang Litrong Liwanag)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Liter-of-Light-Isang-Litrong-Liwanag/181127878593329?sk=info

“fill a 1.5 liter clear soft drink bottle with purified water as tap water will eventually produce moss, then add 3 tablespoons of liquid bleach and tightly seal the cap.”

http://tanggera.com/?p=572

Video: http://www.boreme.com/posting.php?id=28861


Tanggera

Lighting up a million homes through solar power

In: Technology
15 Feb 2011

Dear readers,

Let’s talk about something light and constructive, shall we? It is the love month after all and we are reminded to share it unconditionally. I already actually published this post a couple of days ago but I still needed more info on the project.

The Solar Bottle Bulb Project has an ambitious goal – to light up 1 million homes by 2012. According to statistics from the National Electrification Commission in 2009, 3 million households still remain powerless outside Metro Manila. The team started installing the solar bulbs in a couple of homes in Pasay City with a liter-sized soda bottle. I was trying to work out in my mind how a solar bulb would work without using some complicated technology. Here’s a demo video:

My Shelter Foundation, spearheaded by Illac Diaz, is in the process of unfolding another groundbreaking campaign to bring at least 55watts of light to thousands of households in the shanty areas across the country. Imagine – just using a 1.5 soda bottle, some chlorine and a rubber sealant.

Okay, this is how it works. The solar bottle bulb was designed and developed by students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); a device based on the principles of Appropriate Technologies – a concept that provides simple and easily replicable technologies that address basic needs in developing communities. The water and other chemicals allows full spectrum of light to come into the house. We’re not the first one to try this. Brazil and Mexico are using the same technology as well.

Instructions I read on one of the comments on their Facebook page:

“fill a 1.5 liter clear soft drink bottle with purified water as tap water will eventually produce moss, then add 3 tablespoons of liquid bleach and tightly seal the cap.”

We went to homes in Pasay last week during lunch time where the solar bottle bulbs were first installed. Instead of using electricity during the day, the residents now have an option to use the solar bulbs and lessen their electric bills. It’s amazing how this simple of a technology can harness the power of the sun in the most efficient way to light up hundreds of homes.

This doesn’t just save electricity, it also prevents fire as well, especially in shanties that use candles even in the daytime. The scenario – families desperately try to source electricity through illegal or unsafe means – usually resulting into disaster. According to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), accidents which result into fires often involve faulty electrical connections. Not just that, it also lessens garbage as well!

I cannot begin to imagine how the residents would live in their houses without the solar bulbs they’re using now. The absence of light, really, is daunting.

Right now, My Shelter Foundation just has one prototype. They’re continually experimenting with different materials to spread the technology. I think the not-so-poor households can benefit from another prototype, but, of course, installing these solar bulbs in communities that need it is the first order of business. Seriously, this can change the face of urban living.

The foundation is exploring partnerships with both private and public entities to implement this project nationwide. As an individual, you can start helping by donating your PET bottles. PET Bottle bins can be deposited at the back of the Insular Life buildings in both Makati and Alabang.

“Light is an important part of our daily life, and access to light is a right of everyone here in the country,” says Diaz. “Through this project, we aim to provide the whole country with sustainable light energy – and bridge the gap between social classes. With the Solar Bottle Bulb project, a brighter Philippines is going to become a reality,” ends Diaz.

Illac Diaz is also working on Design Against the Elements (DATE) and the Bottle School Run.

Read more about the project at http://www.aliteroflight.org/ or add them on twitter: aliteroflight. Please support this cause by either reposting this article and spreading the word. I’ll post another update once I get word from the organizers.

Let’s make a brighter Philippines!

TTFN,
Faith

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