A Mighty Way to Light Up Rural India
Monday January 05, 2009 , 1 min Read
MightyLight, a product created by Cosmos Ignite Innovations, is reaching 15,000 children, thanks to an effort by eBay. Since children are unable to study at night without a light source, the MightyLight is a way to improve education, among other issues. eBay employee Anna Sidana and her nonprofit One Million Lights were key drivers in this gift. MightyLight, according to an IndiaWest article, has many benefits. The product is:
a solar-powered LED light that is eco-friendly, robust and built specifically for rugged conditions. It can withstand falls on hard surfaces and water or dust without being damaged. The Mighty Light produces ~500 lumens of clean white light versus ~10 lumens of light from a kerosene lamp. Other benefits of the solar light extend to health and the environment with no harmful carbon emissions.
Cosmos Ignite Innovations itself is an interesting venture, as it is a partnership between Cosmos Energy in India and Ignite Innovations in the US. With millions of people in rural India still using kerosene, the potential for scaling up the environmentally safe and affordable light is substantial.