LED LIGHTING SYSTEMS FOR DEVELOPING NATIONS:LIGHTING A THIRD OF THE WORLD

Ian Frank (ME), Matthew Walter (ME), Jesse Steiner (EE),Luke Spencer (ISE), Mike Celentano (EE), Nicholas Balducci (ME)

Faculty Guide: Robert Stevens

P08427

PROBLEM:•Over two billion people go without lighting or use un-healthy polluting light sources such as kerosene lamps

•Current lighting solutions have efficiencies of lower than one lumen per watt - producing very little light with a low dispersion uniformity

•Studies have shown a positive direct correlation of available lighting to successful education, literacy, and additional income generating activities•Byproducts of combustion are hazardous to the health of those exposed as well as to the environment•Many families spend $8-15/month on lighting, and only make $60/month – that’s 13-25% of their income!

•Fossil fuel-based lighting technologies remove wealth from the local economy, which is often impoverished to start with•Fuel-based lighting accounts for 33% of all residential lighting and 12% of all lighting worldwide

Global Annual Costs of Fuel-Based Lighting1,350 hours spent collecting fuel (per family!)20 billion gallons of fuel38 billion U.S. dollars200 Million tons of greenhouse gases

PROJECT OBJECTIVES:•Develop and deploy efficient, high quality, and economically viable lighting systems for use in the developing world based on recent advances in LED technology•Develop collaborative partnerships with organizations working in the target areas to help with field testing

•Concept - inexpensive individual lighting units & a central charging unitDesign recognizes need for low initial individual costs

•Charging unit owned and operated by local microenterpriseIncome generating activity using local resources rather than importing fuel or batteries

•First generation - rechargeable lighting units charged by bike powered communal generating station

Provides lighting system maintenance - units inspected & serviced by charging station operator

PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT:•Utilized RIT Alumni network to develop relationships with two non-profit organizations with 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 distributionBe more environmentally friendly than keroseneDecrease purchase and operating costsHave capacity to be manufactured in developing nations

•Developed twenty-five engineering specifications based on established needs to guide product design

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT: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 lighting options over an extended time period. One light module plus 1/20th 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.

Kerosene LEDBase Cost $4.00 $20.00Operational Cost $0.13/hr $0.03/hr2 month cost @ 3hrs/night

$27.40 $25.40

1 year cost @ 3hrs/night $146.35 $52.85

Economic Benefits - Lanterns

Economics - Central Charging StationSystem Cost $100.00

Price to Charge One Light Module $0.20

Charges per Day 30+

Yearly Income Generation Potential $2,000+

Regional Average Yearly Income $730

Payback in… ≈1 Month

LIGHT QUALITY•At low power, light modules provide nearly twenty times greater lighting levels for reading vs. kerosene lamps•Light distribution is more uniform and stable•Light module provides at least 20 lux when in reading lamp configuration•Charge lasts 13 hours at 0.8W setting

GOING FORWARD:•Solve issues with charging module - protect module from over-current•Increase lighting levels – LED driver limits light levels to those currently tested and it would be beneficial if the light module could produce more light•Send fully functional system to Haiti for field testing•Revise design of both modules based on the results of field testing.•Future generations - communal or individual basis

Small treadle, photovoltaic cell, or thermoelectric module

Module Concepts

GeneratorPower Conditioner

DC Charging Plugs

Bike Trainer

DC Jack

On/Off Switch

Handle

LED

Circuit Board

AA Batteries

Can Housing

Light Diffuser