Not to talk of all the thousands of scientists in TIFR, BARC and other Government Institutions and several thousand (million?) engineers dotted around India. To these scientists, chemists and engineers - “Where are your brains?”
With the country definitely in the midst of power crisis (especially my home state of TN), and more than half the rural India is without electricity or light, is it too hard to think a way out? A simple way? Why wait until 2014 for rural electrification, at least for lighting up?
All you need to provide every household is a 2 litre soda (soft drinks) bottle, 2 cap full of bleaching liquid, 2 litres of filtered water and some sealant – perhaps half a kilo of white cement and you can light up a small room (okay only during daylight hours).
But do these people know how many rooms including class rooms are so dinghy and dark even now? – If you have any doubts, just ask Rahul Gandhi.
Even if you don’t think of savings – cost wise and energy wise, this solution can be implemented within this year – if the Government puts its mind to it, this can be done within the next 2 weeks – before Deepavali.
Forget the UIDAI / Aadhar cards – move your backside and get on it.
Here is an actual YouTube video, all the way from Brazil /via boing boing/
Come on Ministers, get cracking – if the TN Chief Minister hears of this, she’d immediately act on it and her party men might soon honour her with the title ‘Surya Lakshmi’ – then, there would be no use crying over spilt milk.
PS:- OK, the idea for using a water bottle was by Alfredo Moser of Brazil in 2002. There is an existing MIT inspired project http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/ (A litre of light) in Philippines.
PS 2:- In case you think that the idea itself – use of refractive lighting – is only for shacks and huts, you better pull your heads out. Residences and even commercial malls can be equipped with such ‘bulbs’ or solatubes. Check out the link, it is really mind blowing.
PS 3:- It uses a principle known since the time of wooden ships – refraction of light – used in dead lights.
PS 4:- Solatube also have solarstar attic fans. Should get or design one before next summer.
PS 5:-Whoa! haven’t I suggested somewhere that when TN Government gives away fans, they should aim for solar powered ones? [Solar powered pump sets for farmers would be an even better idea]
update: The Hindu on 25th Nov 2011 carries a similar article (but without slamming the ministers) titled ‘Light by the bottleful’ - 45 days after this post [http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/article2657221.ece].
With the country definitely in the midst of power crisis (especially my home state of TN), and more than half the rural India is without electricity or light, is it too hard to think a way out? A simple way? Why wait until 2014 for rural electrification, at least for lighting up?
All you need to provide every household is a 2 litre soda (soft drinks) bottle, 2 cap full of bleaching liquid, 2 litres of filtered water and some sealant – perhaps half a kilo of white cement and you can light up a small room (okay only during daylight hours).
But do these people know how many rooms including class rooms are so dinghy and dark even now? – If you have any doubts, just ask Rahul Gandhi.
Even if you don’t think of savings – cost wise and energy wise, this solution can be implemented within this year – if the Government puts its mind to it, this can be done within the next 2 weeks – before Deepavali.
Forget the UIDAI / Aadhar cards – move your backside and get on it.
Here is an actual YouTube video, all the way from Brazil /via boing boing/
PS:- OK, the idea for using a water bottle was by Alfredo Moser of Brazil in 2002. There is an existing MIT inspired project http://isanglitrongliwanag.org/ (A litre of light) in Philippines.
PS 2:- In case you think that the idea itself – use of refractive lighting – is only for shacks and huts, you better pull your heads out. Residences and even commercial malls can be equipped with such ‘bulbs’ or solatubes. Check out the link, it is really mind blowing.
PS 3:- It uses a principle known since the time of wooden ships – refraction of light – used in dead lights.
PS 4:- Solatube also have solarstar attic fans. Should get or design one before next summer.
PS 5:-Whoa! haven’t I suggested somewhere that when TN Government gives away fans, they should aim for solar powered ones? [Solar powered pump sets for farmers would be an even better idea]
update: The Hindu on 25th Nov 2011 carries a similar article (but without slamming the ministers) titled ‘Light by the bottleful’ - 45 days after this post [http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/article2657221.ece].
hi Becka - thanx for the kind words and wishes. you too live good and long. good luck with LY-DENTI too.
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