Thread: Water soluable glow additive for rural Africa

Is there any water soluable additive which stores energy from sunlight? Imagine mixing water and the glow substance in a 2 liter bottle and leaving it out in the sun and it would glow once the sun went down. I see some expensive additives for things like oil based paint. But nothing that could be mixed with water. Preferably translucent onc mixed. I'm working on a project in west Africa to install clear bottles in tin roofs with water inside. Sun passes through the top on the roof side and light (55-60 watts) comes out underneath into the room. How great would it be if it could be storing energy all day and offer some light at night too.Is this possible? I have no education in Chem other than vinegar and water in a volcano with a Lego man glued to the side.

No need. Tiny solar panels are what you're looking for to start with. Lots of projects in various places.

This is just one example. http://www.rtcc.org/barclays-cash-boost-as-solar-looks-to-displace-kerosene-in-africa/

I was looking for a couple of pieces on just how much benefit there is in eliminating kerosene in rural Africa but can't find them just now. Suffice it to say that it's not just the power and light. In many places it saves people a couple of days of lost work per week in travelling to purchase kerosene, and best of all, it eliminates the burn injuries and deaths from lamps being knocked over.

Solar is great. But a panel and battery could cost more than a family could make in a year. These day time solar lights cost almost nothing. And they offer light indoors where darkness is not only inefficient but can be a safety risk.We are going to install the bottles. I'm just looking for a possible improvement.50W light bulb from a plastic water bottle!

Yes, I know about the water bottles. Fantastic system.

But a panel and battery could cost more than a family could make in a year.

Most of these solar schemes only cost $10 deposit or so. The further repayments are usually less, sometimes much much less, than the previous weekly/monthly expense of kerosene. Most schemes are designed explicitly to deal with exactly that problem.

I found these few among my bookmarks, (not the ones I had in mind earlier). I'll keep looking.

Compass: Pointing the Way to a Clean Energy Future
Solar lamps replace toxic kerosene in poorest countries - CNN.com
World Bank Bringing Solar Power to Over 1 Million Homes, Shops in Rural Bangladesh | CleanTechnica (Note this program also runs in Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda if you're mainly concerned about Africa.)

One really interesting point about kerosene lamp light from that second link, quite apart from the issues I mentioned earlier.

those without electricity pay hundreds of times more per lumen -- the unit measurement of visible light emitted by a source -- than those who enjoy free-flowing electricity.
"In real terms, they contribute a fifth of all the money spent on lighting globally, but get less than 1% of the total lumens,"

Originally Posted by Steveamodio

Solar is great. But a panel and battery could cost more than a family could make in a year. These day time solar lights cost almost nothing. And they offer light indoors where darkness is not only inefficient but can be a safety risk.We are going to install the bottles. I'm just looking for a possible improvement.50W light bulb from a plastic water bottle!

Hi there, ok so I really like the idea of the bottles as day time lights great idea, can't really help you though with an additive either. But I have got one idea that may or may not work depending on the availability of materials obviously with cost being a major factor here. It seems that the use of fibre optic cables is becoming more and more prevalent these days meaning that it is becoming more likely to be able to obtain old ones that have been scrapped. What I was thinking is would it perhaps be possible, even if not now maybe in the future perhaps, to use some old fibre optic cables to bring light into the houses at the points where the bottles are to magnify into the houses, then use an external light source such as a small out door camp fire to provide the light for the village every evening. What it would require as a place where all the fibre optic cables are linked up to from each house in the village, a place that a fire can be made as a cheap light source, or perhaps collectivelly the village might be able to afford a powerful oil or electric lamp. The point is this should be the light source for all the villages houses thus keeping the costs down.