Here’s A Bottleful of Ultra-Green Sunlight

That a plastic cola bottle can be put to use before being trashed, is not surprising, but that very bottle transforming into a light bulb, that illuminates and doesn’t use electricity or any wires, surprises for sure.

Well, it is no joke and it is also not future. This news is for you to use.

The planet has enough people to think and come up with fantastic ideas for a greener living. A solar water bulb is an innovation developed by Alfredo Moser of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Though innovated a decade ago in the year 2002, the innovation is yet to be a common sight across the globe and especially in India where countless people live in such inhospitable conditions that even sunlight fails to reach their dwellings. There are many who also cannot afford electricity.

Anyway, these bulbs may not be popular in India, but they have transformed the ‘dark’ day-life of slum dwellers in Manila, into bright and illuminated ones.

The same success can be replicated in India, provided, we, the people who have the luxury to afford electricity and illuminate our rooms at the press of a switch, take this ahead and illuminate the lives of many others who do not have this luxury.

All it requires is a plastic soda bottle, water, chlorine and sturdy hands to put the bulb in place.

Here is a step-by-step guide to come up with a Solar Bottle Bulb.

What all is required?

a. One litre pet bottle

b. Galvanized iron ridged or flat roofing sheet measuring 10″ x 10″

c. Chlorine (10ml per litre of water)

d. Sand Paper

e. Tools to cut the sheet

f. Pliers to fold the sheet

g. Epoxy resin or Rubber Sealant to seal and attach the plastic bottle

h. Screws and screw drivers to fasten the setup to the roof

i. Clean water, preferably filtered

How do I set it up?

Cut a circle, 2mm smaller than the diameter of the bottle, on the galvanized roof sheet piece. Make small cuts perpendicular to the edge and fold them upwards. Take the bottle and rub sand paper against it to make it rough enough for the resin or sealant to adhere. Pass the bottle through the hole and hold in place using the folded edges of the sheet (1/3rd of the bottle above the fold). Apply the resin or sealant to the bottle and the folded edges to seal and fix them together. Now pour 10ml of Chlorine into the bottle and top it up with filtered water. Close the lid tightly.

Now cut a hole on the roof at a point where illumination is needed. Apply sealant or epoxy resin around the opening to cover an area equivalent to the 10″x10″ sheet. Secure it with screws. Your Solar Water Bulb is ready to spread light. The bottle light is believed to have a life of up to 5 years! Yes, you read that right.

But how does water illuminate?

The light rays that enter the bottle from the portion exposed to the sun, are diffracted by the water-chlorine cocktail. Diffraction ensures that light spreads throughout the house instead of focusing on one point. Chlorine keeps the water clear and microbe-free.

Is it not simple? Yes, it indeed is. And the effort is worth it in a country like India, where according to reliable estimates, 360 million people lack access to electricity.

The only negative attribute of this utility is the fact that it does not work during night when people do need light. But at least it works wonders for those who do not even get to see sunlight during the day hours.

There are two things to watch out for. These are:

Ensure you seal the roof properly to avoid water damage.

Cover the bottle cap properly so that it does not get damaged.

The possibilities such a simple idea provides are amazing. This bottle full of sunlight is green, eco friendly, cost effective and practical!

Now when we have given you a ‘green’ signal, go and spread out the light. You may be lucky enough to work in an office building or stay in a house where the lights just stay on all day but there are millions of people for whom, even the rising sun fails to bring such a reliable source of light. To begin with, you may educate your maid or just anybody who you think would spread the idea.