d.light design

THE CHALLENGE

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals identify electricity as essential to eradicating poverty. More than 1.5 billion people lack access to electricity, and 400 million of those are in India. Most households rely on kerosene lanterns and candles to meet their lighting needs. But these sources of light are dangerous, low quality and expensive. The data indicates that families can spend as much as 10 to 15 percent of monthly income on kerosene.

THE INNOVATION

d.light design was founded in 2007 with the goal of eliminating kerosene. It has developed a suite of products that include d.light S300, a solar lantern and mobile phone charger; the d.light S20, which has no recurring costs and produces eight hours of light on a single charge; and d.light S2. At $8, the S2 is the world’s most affordable high-quality solar light.

THE IMPACT

More than 13 million people are benefiting from d.light’s solar lanterns. By replacing a kerosene lamp with a d.light product, a consumer can expect to experience cost savings of up to $150 over five years, increased safety from the elimination of accidental fires caused by kerosene lamps, better health and increased productivity.

In total, d.light’s lanterns have resulted in 275 million USD in savings per year for families who no longer rely on kerosene. Carbon emissions have been offset by 375,000 tons per year, and over 2,000 deaths per year have been prevented from kerosene fires.