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Hong Kong Company Develops Solar-Powered Lightbulb

Posted by timothy on from the works-best-at-night dept.

hussain_mkj writes "A Hong Kong-based company, Nokero, has introduced what it claims is the world's first solar powered lightbulb. Nokero is trying to replace traditional kerosene lamps in developing countries with its solar-powered N100 LED lightbulbs. The bulb is about the same size as normal incandescent bulbs, and will shine for two hours when charged for a day. The company claims that the new bulb is five times as bright as a kerosene lamp and uses 1/200th the energy. It will cost $15 for one and $480 for 48."

10 of 222 comments (clear)

  1. Cool by pieisgood · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You can get the 48 light deal and setup a grid of lights to provide night time lighting for six hours and you won't have to pay the electricity bill.

    But will anyone in the developing countries know or care about this?

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    1. Re:Cool by skine · · Score: 4, Interesting

      My great uncle drove down to Brazil about thirty years back, and most central American rural natives would drive without headlights at night. They felt that it actually improved their ability to see.

    2. Re:Cool by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Developing countries are way ahead of the "green" curve because:
      1) Electricity is expensive
      2) Electricity isn't that reliable.

      On my recent trip to India I was quite surprised, especially out in Sikkim. Even though the area is very 'poor' (by American standards) almost everyone had florescent lights. We stayed on Yangsum Farm. The guy had a solar array. WWII sub batteries for backup. He was in process of building an entire passive 'off the grid' building.

      Every single hotel room I stayed in had a slot for the key. You walked in, put the key in the slot and the power came on to the room. If you took the key, you lost power. It was annoying trying to charge stuff, but how many times to people leave their rooms in the USA and leave a TV on, some lights, etc?

      So yes, developing countries know about this and they'll most likely make use of it long before anyone in the USA even cares.

    3. Re:Cool by rockNme2349 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Maybe something like this would be cheaper?

      I would hardly say this is the world's first.

      --
      Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
    4. Re:Cool by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Can you, with normal headlights on, see a pedestrian a kilometer away?

      On a night of full moon, I can see them pretty well with lights off. I may not spot the difference between a slick of oil and a pothole a meter away, but I can pretty well see the curve of the road, the bigger obstacles, very far buildings and so on. The moment I switch headlights on my vision is limited to ~100m. And the moment a car with headlights on approaches from behind a hill/bump (or the asshole doesn't switch to passing beam) my view range is pretty much zero, for the duration of the encounter and about 10s afterwards.

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    5. Re:Cool by Firethorn · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It goes without saying that if you have no artificial light available that waiting until your eyes adjust to the darkness gives you better vision.

      Here's another experiment for you. Select a night of that's close to full moon. Obtain a million candle-power flood.

      Wait until full night, then go looking around a forest. Then turn that flood on. You can see what the flood illuminates real good, right?

      Now look at somewhere other than what the flood is lighting. Can't see a thing, can you?

      Headlights are like that flood - except they're fixed directly ahead. Less useful on a winding road.

      With headlights:
      =====

      Your vision is good, but only for a short distance straight in front of you.

      Without headlights, night-vision adjusted
      ---
      -----
      --------
      -----
      ---

      I may not see close quite as well, but I'm actually able to see further and wider without my lights on because I'm depending on ambient, not the hugely bright lights that only cover a few hundred meters in front of me, if that.

      If you truly believed this wasn't stupid, tell me, do you drive at night without your headlights on? No?

      In my case the difference is that I drive in the USA, which has stupid amounts of lighting at night. Which presumably isn't the case here.

      --
      I don't read AC A human right
  2. Not a first, I think... by blankinthefill · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Well, considering that these: http://www.siliconsolar.com/solar-garden-lights.html, have been around for many years, I think 'first' is a bit of a stretch. They may have made them CHEAPER, and longer lasting, or more useful, but certainly not FIRST.

  3. Re:New? by dwillden · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Except those LED lights ($3.99 at Walmart) tend to shine for six hours or more, not a paltry 2 hours. I have a couple single LED lights among the set in my yard that will often still be lit when I leave for work in the morning.

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    I'm too lazy to compose a creative sig.
  4. Re:Replacement term for 3rd world by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    Diplomats adjust terms to keep from offending nations where people have little income and limited freedom.

    And what country is that where you live, xzvf, where you have "unlimited freedom"? USA? Europe?

    C'mon, it is exactly in a "developing" country where you will find real freedom.

  5. i like my camp lights to use nuclear fuel by circletimessquare · · Score: 2, Interesting

    i'm not kidding

    http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2482/are-camp-lanterns-radioactive

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    intellectual property law is philosophically incoherent. it is your moral duty to ignore it or sabotage it