This is in fact very simple but definitely extremely ingenious: an automatic on/off interior solar lamp invented by Mr Alfredo Moser, an auto mecanic in Brasil.
In 2002, during a long electrical shortage, at Uberaba, São Paulo, Brasil, Mr Alfredo Moser discovered a way to gather sun light in the house through plastic bottles hanging from the roof.
He noticed that a clear two-liter bottle reflected the sun light very brightly when filled with water. As an auto mecanic, he had to keep his auto shop lit during the day and while there is sufficient sun light, the cost of rooflights and glazing is very high compared to the average Brazilian income. Given that Brazil has an abundance of sun light, he decided to experiment with a solution that enables him to keep on working during the electric outage and potentially save on his electric bills later on.
His construction: take a 2 liter water bottle, fill it with clear water and 2 caps of chloride to keep bacteria from clouding the water. Cover the bottle-cap with a photo-roll capsule to protect it from UV and fit the bottle in a hole in your roof.
As a result the sun greatly brightened his workspace through the refracting water in the plastic bottle. The bottle is just refracting sun light very effectively and produces an equivalent light power compared to a 50/60W lamp. In a rainy day, even without much light and direct sun, one still have some light.
In a country with high level of poverty resulting in tiny living spaces cramped together, there are many rooms that don't even have windows. Mr Alfredo's solution has already helped many families add light into their homes. Some of these water lamps have been in place for over two years in many rooms. They have never needed to be replaced. They are maintenance free and the cement sealer holds them in place for a long time.
To turn them off, just cover them with e.g. a plastic bucket or wait till the sun sets :-)
Scientist have visited Mr Alfredo Moser and are looking into ways to take this concept to maximize its potential
These kind of ideas that are simple but highly efficient are quintessential in finding a solution to our energy problems. More importantly there needs to be a platform for tinkerers and inventors to share ideas and collaborate. Large companies and fancy startups do bring allot to the table - however, in most cases it’s the average Joe working in his garage or on his computer that finds an amazing solution.
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