Solar lights the way towards sustainability

“Lack of light after dark is the single largest factor making women feel unsafe in their communities,” said Prajna Khanna, who heads up CSR at Signify. “Introducing the LifeLight to off-grid areas is helping transform the lives of people in these communities. It extends their day for commercial activity, education, and community life,” she added.

By 2050 – when the world must be climate neutral – additional infrastructure will be built for another two billion people. Now is the time for emerging economies to leapfrog into smarter technologies, bypassing carbon-intensive choices, for cleaner, more reliable, zero-carbon energy sources.

BRAC, the world’s largest NGO, partnered with Signify to distribute LifeLight solar lanterns to more than 46,000 Rohingya families in Bangladesh’s refugee camps – this will help improve quality of life by supporting basic needs.

“These clean solar powered lights will make the camps a much safer place at night, and are, therefore, making a much-needed contribution to the lives of people who are spending days in unimaginable difficulties,” said Asif Saleh, senior director of Strategy, Communication and Empowerment at BRAC and BRAC International.

More recently, Signify has been experimenting with hybrid solar systems. The Philips Combo Charge Controller enables streetlights to be powered by clean solar electricity while accessing the mains grid if the battery runs out of power. This makes hybrid a feasible option for high-latitude countries where sunshine may be less reliable, and daylight is more dependent on the seasons.
 

Ultimately, a paradigm shift is occurring where solar power is no longer being attributed only to places where existing infrastructure lacks and instead is being seen as an important part of the global energy mix. The alternative is becoming the new norm.

First published with Climate Home News