Solar lamps for off-grid living from BRIGHT Products

No or unreliable access to a national electric grid can have wide-ranging negative effects on health, education, family economy and women’s safety.

The list of health and safety risks alone is long. For example, according to the World Health Organization, use of kerosene lamps exposes households to very high levels of fine particulate matter, with an estimated 1.5 million people a year dying from toxic kerosene fumes. Meanwhile, burning firewood for lighting can lead to household fires and smoke.

All of BRIGHT’s lighting solutions are based on user needs. The company visits off-grid communities around the world to gain firsthand experience and identify needs, which then form the basis for a stringent design and production process.

SunBell is a multifunctional solar lamp that has been distributed in the millions over the last 10 years. It can be used as a task light, ceiling lamp or flashlight. The latest lamp, Sol, offers up to 580 hours of light on a single charge and the casing is made from 100 per cent recycled plastic.

BRIGHT is a supplier to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN World Food Programme (WFP), among others. The company is working to extend its product range in collaboration with the humanitarian and disaster sectors as well as commercial distributors.

Some of the many benefits of solar lamps include improving indoor safety and air quality, enabling children to study at night, allowing small business owners and craftspeople to keep their businesses going, and keeping women and girls safe at night.

Solar lamps can replace polluting kerosene lamps, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. They can also replace the use of firewood for lighting, which is a leading contributor to deforestation according to WWF.

According to the Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2024, the potential market for off-grid energy appliances is vast, at an estimated 398 million households.

Emergency relief for refugees and displaced persons also comprises a large market. The United Nations has global responsibility for responding to humanitarian crises and has made expanding sustainable energy solutions a priority.