SMART Light

The UNDP estimates that 1.5 billion people do not have access to electricity, and must rely on fuel-based lighting—kerosene, candles, wood, and other biomass. Fuel-based lighting carries very high costs, including economic costs, health/safety costs, and environmental costs. There have been many efforts to address fuel-based lighting using solar photovoltaic (PV) power, which can provide clean and low-cost energy far away from the “grid.” As a result, there are dozens of solar-powered lights available today in the markets of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. However, penetration rates have been much lower than expected. Many solar-lighting products marketed to the poor are too expensive and culturally inappropriate for these developing economy markets. Others are distributed through unsustainable business models that include charity or subsidy programs.

The UC Davis PIET team developed an affordable, energy-efficient solar-powered household light that can replace fuel-based lighting in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The “SMART Light” offers a household a basic increment of light (15-20 lumens, or slightly more than a candle or kerosene wick lamp) for a retail price equivalent to 2-3 months’ worth of candles or kerosene. This basic unit of lighting has an affordable up-front cost, pays for itself within 3 months, and allows customers to purchase light incrementally, adding lighting units as needed.

The UC Davis team created “Lighting the Way”, an organization responsible for researching, marketing, and distributing the SMART Light in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The approach is to scale the distribution into a viable commercial business, with the product sold in local stores next to traditional light sources like candles or kerosene. The team proposes to scale up an existing business in Zambia and launch a new business in Bangladesh.

The marketing and distribution plan for the SMART Light is based on how household goods are bought and sold in Zambia. The Zambian team has identified a network of medium-sized distributors in key areas outside the urban core of Lusaka who will serve as initial retail outlets. Another key initial market segment is micro-business operators; research indicates that because affordable lighting can help them stay open longer—leading to increased income—these entrepreneurs have additional incentive to invest in better lighting.

Principal Investigator: Kurt Kornbluth, Program for International Energy Technologies, UC Davis
Field Location: Zambia and Bangladesh
Partners: World Bank – Lighting Africa Development Marketplace
Website: Lighting The Way