<p>Plastic bottles are no longer a waste. City-based computer engineer Mohammed Imranullah has come up with a simple and effective technology to light up houses using them.<br /><br />Lighting equipment consume a major share of electricity. In cities, providing electricity connections to the houses of the poor has become a costly affair with ‘private power generators’ seeking ‘time of the day’ tariff. However, Imranullah’s innovation has come as a hope for the poor. The device can light up houses where sunlight is blocked.<br /><br />“This is not rocket science. It is a technology inspired by a Brazilian programme to light up houses with solar energy. It addresses the problem of disposing plastic bottles, while at the same time providing lighting to the houses,” he said.<br /><br />Imranullah, demonstrating his concept to this reporter, said a cola bottle filled with water and mixed with bleaching agents should be hung from the roof of a house with a portion of it emerging out and the other inside the room to be lit up. <br /><br />“It is best suited for dark rooms in houses with asbestos sheet roofing and those with tiles and having least ventilation. The light we get is the refraction of the sun’s light which is equivalent to a 60-volt tubelight,” he explained.<br /><br />“The water inside the bottle makes the light omnidirectional, mimicking an electric light bulb. The bleach keeps the water clear for years. Without the bleach, the water would quickly turn green with algae. Without the water, there would be a bright spot on the floor surrounded by relative darkness,” he added.<br /><br />Being a sustainable lighting project, the Solar Bottle Bulb is a simple and easily replicable technology that addresses basic needs of underprivileged communities.<br /><br />This programme, Imranullah says, will reduce pressure on electricity supply companies which have come up with an awareness programme so that people turn off bulbs during the day. “People, unless provided with an alternative, will not lend their ears. This can be one,” he said. <br /></p>
<p>Plastic bottles are no longer a waste. City-based computer engineer Mohammed Imranullah has come up with a simple and effective technology to light up houses using them.<br /><br />Lighting equipment consume a major share of electricity. In cities, providing electricity connections to the houses of the poor has become a costly affair with ‘private power generators’ seeking ‘time of the day’ tariff. However, Imranullah’s innovation has come as a hope for the poor. The device can light up houses where sunlight is blocked.<br /><br />“This is not rocket science. It is a technology inspired by a Brazilian programme to light up houses with solar energy. It addresses the problem of disposing plastic bottles, while at the same time providing lighting to the houses,” he said.<br /><br />Imranullah, demonstrating his concept to this reporter, said a cola bottle filled with water and mixed with bleaching agents should be hung from the roof of a house with a portion of it emerging out and the other inside the room to be lit up. <br /><br />“It is best suited for dark rooms in houses with asbestos sheet roofing and those with tiles and having least ventilation. The light we get is the refraction of the sun’s light which is equivalent to a 60-volt tubelight,” he explained.<br /><br />“The water inside the bottle makes the light omnidirectional, mimicking an electric light bulb. The bleach keeps the water clear for years. Without the bleach, the water would quickly turn green with algae. Without the water, there would be a bright spot on the floor surrounded by relative darkness,” he added.<br /><br />Being a sustainable lighting project, the Solar Bottle Bulb is a simple and easily replicable technology that addresses basic needs of underprivileged communities.<br /><br />This programme, Imranullah says, will reduce pressure on electricity supply companies which have come up with an awareness programme so that people turn off bulbs during the day. “People, unless provided with an alternative, will not lend their ears. This can be one,” he said. <br /></p>
