SociaLite

SociaLite was created to address specifically the lighting needs of the extreme poor in remote, rural, off-grid communities where the average household income may be less than 25 cents/day. Effectively designed for the middle of nowhere, SociaLite is a self-sustaining community lighting service, affordable at real cost, durable, easily maintained and repaired. The outcome is a robust, standalone product able to withstand the climate and the environment, and usage by those completely unfamiliar with modern technology. Incorporating locally sourced components where available, SociaLite was designed for manufacture, assembly and installation close to the point of use.

SociaLite started life in a fall 2006 first year, first semester, Engineering Design and Problem Solving class (EID101). The challenge to the students was to design a lighting system for the poorest people on the planet. Through grants from the NSF, the EPA, the NCIIA and generous donations from private individuals and our partnership with Wa Polytechnic in North Western Ghana, four communities (about 2000 people) now enjoy clean light with SociaLite lanterns. Individuals and organizations from over thirty countries across the world have expressed interest. A major rollout of the system across Ghana is being discussed as are pilot installations in India and Rwanda.

http://www.detail-online.com/daily/socialite-solar-led-lantern-688/
http://www.prescolite.com/blog/?p=663
http://www.archlighting.com/industry-news.asp?articleID=1674938
https://ieeetv.ieee.org/ieeetv-specials/engineering-for-social-good
 

Team Members:
Toby Cumberbatch

Funder/Partner/Sponsor:
NCIIA

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.