In 2002 there was a power outage and Mr Alfredo needed light in his workshop. He "noticed" (the video says) that the water in the bottles refracted the light enough to make a 2-liter bottle act like a light bulb. An electrical engineer even measured and the bottle creates as much light as a 50 watt bulb...during the day. It's an automatic lighting system!
Now this invention is being used to light people's homes in the Philippines. Their houses are really dark during the day (they don't have windows due to cost and privacy). They do have electric lights, but they cost a lot of money and to have to have a light bulb on all day and night (except when they are sleeping) is too expensive for a poor family. With a lower electric bill they can spend the money differently, on more luxurious essentials, like education, and better nutrition as suggested in the video. They are installing the bottle lights in many houses to decrease electricity cost. Now there is an organization (Liter of Light) that is trying to bring light to a million homes in the Philippines, there are many more videos and links on their website with more information.
I love the innovative use of the water bottle, and they answered all of my questions as to why they did certain things and how they prevented others. When I first heard about this, I wondered why they would put chlorine in the water if it was sealed, and the video answered that, I also wondered how well they sealed them and if they were going to leak, and the video showed their sealing techniques (the Brazilian one is a little different than the one from the Philippines, but both seem like they would work). This is a really cool invention and a great solution to the problems they are facing.
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