Let There Be Light

And then God said, "Let there be Light" and there was light. 

This quote is from the third verse of the Book of Genesis acts as the guiding principle for a team of designers from London, UK. According to statistics, over 1.5 Billion people in the World have no reliable access to electricity and as a result these people rely on biomass fuels such as kerosene. Kerosene not only causes lung cancer but also increases the carbon footprint. 

The team of Martin  Riddiford and Jim Reeves have spent the past four years trying to find, research and refine the solution to the problem of electricity faced by these 1.5 Billion people. They have come up with Gravity Light, an innovative and low cost solution to electricity woes. The team have a dream of 'Gifting a Light' to the underprivileged section of our society who do not have the sufficient means and funds to obtain electricity from both renewable as well as non-renewable sources. This condition is more prominent in the villages in countries such as India and Africa. 

The basic functioning of Gravity Light is simple. It works on the concept of Gravity by using a weight kept in a ballast bag which is then lifted up using cords and bolts. The entire process of lifting up the weight takes just 3 seconds and this provides sufficient energy to light a LED bulb for half an hour. One can do this several times with absolutely no worries of running out of batteries or causing any environmental damage. In fact, the team of designers wish to do away with the concept of batteries altogether to help make our environment more clean and green.

Gravity Light is also being developed as a replacement for the kerosene lamps which are quite common in our country, India. There are no running costs for using Gravity Light and presently it is being sold for just $10. Imagine the savings it could bring to a household which is living below the poverty line. Have a look at their website.

Here's a video of the designers explaining Gravity Light.

                               

In an era of rapid globalization, India needs solutions such as these to make the jump from being a developing nation into a developed one. However, such initiatives need encouragement for their creativity and research. India needs innovations like these as the majority of our population still lives in rural areas where even today, people have no access to round-the-clock electricity. Even urban metropolitan homes can benefit from the use of Gravity Light. This technology can be used at doors, hallways, driveways, store rooms or to power up some other device as well. Coming back to the Book of Genesis, Gravity Light says it in a nutshell, quite clearly, let there be light for everyone to use and prosper.

Do you think Gravity Light can be introduced in India? What other measures do you feel are applicable in this context? Can we, as the citizens of our country, take any steps or make an impact on the future of this country? Share your thoughts, views and opinions in the comments below.