ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Student Team Members: Ian Frank, Matthew Walter, Nicholas Balducci, Lucas Spencer, Jesse Steiner, Mike Celentano Faculty Guides: Robert Stevens, Brian Thorn C-4 Lighting a Third of the World: Development and Demonstration of LED Lighting Units with Community-Based Power Charging Systems Background/Problem Definition People: Over two billion people go without lighting or use un- healthy polluting light sources such as kerosene lamps [1] As of the year 2000, the IEA estimates that 14% of urban households and 49% of rural households in developing nations are without electricity [2] Many people are forced to use lighting solutions with efficiencies of lower than one lumen per watt, which produce very little light with a low dispersion uniformity [3] Initial Project Market: Haiti Population: 9.05 Million Literacy: 52.9% Children Finish 6 th Grade: 50% Per capita GDP: $1,300 Objectives and Scope Develop and deploy efficient, high quality, and economically viable lighting systems for use in the developing world based on recent advances in LED technology Assess the lighting need and develop appropriate engineering specifications Develop collaborative partnerships with organizations working in the target areas to help with field testing Design, build, and conduct preliminary tests of a prototype LED lighting system Send first generation systems to partners for field testing in developing nations for future design feedback Life Cycle Assessment Planet: Fuel-based lighting accounts for 33% of all residential lighting and 12% of all lighting worldwide [1] In a recent global lighting study, Evan Mills of LBNL concluded that “The single-greatest way to reduce the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with lighting energy use is to replace kerosene lamps with white-LED electric systems in developing countries; this can be accomplished even while dramatically increasing currently deficient lighting service levels” [9] Studies have shown a positive direct correlation of available lighting to successful education, literacy, and additional income generating activities [4, 5] Byproducts of combustion are hazardous to the health of those exposed as well as to the environment [6] Prosperity: Many families spend $8-15/month on lighting, and only make $60/month – that’s 13-25% of their income! Global Annual Costs of Fuel-Based Lighting 1,350 hours spent collecting fuel (per family!) 20 billion gallons of fuel 38 billion U.S. dollars 200 Million tons of greenhouse gases Fossil fuel-based lighting technologies remove wealth from the local economy, which is often impoverished to start with Prototype Development Utilized the RIT Alumni network to develop relationships with two non-profit organizations with developmental focus in Haiti Established the needs of the end user, rural families in Haiti, by working closely with these partners Key Needs  Provide improved lighting levels and distribution  Be more environmentally friendly than kerosene  Decrease purchase and operating costs  Have capacity to be manufactured in developing nations. Developed twenty-five engineering specifications based on established needs to guide product design Material costs for optimally designed unit < $20/unit System will provide 50 Lux on a two square meter surface One charge lasts at least seven hours The small units are modular, so as a family’s needs and available resources change additional lighting units can be purchased Central charging system creates income generating activity using local resources rather than importing fuel or batteries Central charging system better ensures lighting system maintenance as units can be inspected and serviced by charging station operator System Level Block Diagram In order determine the sustainability of the designed lighting units compared to the currently used kerosene lamps, the SimaPro Life Cycle Assessment tool was used. Eco-Points were determined for operating both. Concept of inexpensive individual lighting units with a central charging unit adopted after multiple interactions with sponsors  Design recognizes need for low initial individual costs Charging unit owned and operated by local microenterprise First generation system consists of rechargeable lighting units charged by a bike powered communal generating station Future generators could be on communal or individual basis  Small treadle, photovoltaic cell, or thermoelectric module [7] [8] Measuring Up The lighting modules under low power mode provides nearly twenty times greater lighting levels for reading compared to the kerosene lamps currently used. The more uniform and stable light distribution is an added benefit. lighting options over an extended time period. One light module plus 1/20 th of the central charging system has less than 3% of the negative environmental impact of one kerosene lantern for the same time period while also providing superior lighting levels.