Lumileds chips shine light for world's poorest
by Andy Extance
“The idea is breathtakingly simple, taking a textile to combine a flexible solar source and semiconductor technologies. The sophistication comes from the electronic brain that controls the HB-LED."
So says Sheila Kennedy of the Boston-based Portable Light Project, whose pilot scheme has been operating in the Sierra Madre, Mexico, for a year.
For the Huichol people involved in the pilot, the lights give access to electric light, otherwise not available in rural Mexico, and provide cheaper, safer and better quality illumination than existing alternatives, like kerosene lamps.
Talking to compoundsemiconductor.net, Kennedy added that the project is hoping to expand to a portable power platform, which could also provide UV LED-based water sterilizers.
A portable light consists of a kit containing high conversion efficiency copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar cells combined with a 200 mAh lithium-ion batteries and Luxeon HB-LED chips from Philips Lumileds.
“Dr. George Craford (chief technology officer of Lumileds), has been a great friend to our project,” said Kennedy, “encouraging the company to provide chips at a social cost, which is very ethically responsible.”
Each kit contains two 40 lm HB-LEDs, which produce approximately 100 lm of light together.
Taking power to the people
The kits take advantage of the low levels of heat given out by LEDs, allowing them to be incorporated into the kind of fabrics used in a particular community.
Returning from a visit to set up a project in Australia, and seeing how the indigenous Arrernte people incorporate the kits into bags, Kennedy said, “These are not bags like we might think of them, they are central to their culture.”
“What we are saying is, here is a technology "“ make it your own.”
Kennedy recognises the important role to be played by businesses and engineers in making devices such as the portable light a reality, encouraging them to get involved.
“We re aiming at producing these lights for $10 dollars each, and when you think that there are 3 billion people who could benefit from products like these, well, that's quite a market.”
The Portable Light Project is seeking UV LED makers to team with for its sterilization devices and Kennedy urged compoundsemiconductor.net readers to go to the project s website if they could help.
If you re not in a position to make your employer sit up and take notice, you could still contribute by yourself - engineers to help complete prototypes of the portable power platform are also much in demand.
So, if you're of a mind to help the developing world make the most of LEDs, contact Sheila Kennedy at skennedy@kvarch.net.
Author
Andy Extance is a reporter at compoundsemiconductor.net.
