An estimated 1.6 billion or approximately 25% of the people in the world live without electricity. Additionally, 40% of the world's population lives on less than the equivalent of $2 US/day and cannot afford electricity or electric lighting. Instead, the sole source of light is either a kerosene lantern or wood fire. The poor light that results from the use of these sources seriously limits the education and economic activities of families using these sources, resulting in a continuing cycle of poverty. Recently, there have been a number of efforts to address this issue but none have really addressed the issue from a lighting point of view, but rather have focused on the source of power. This presentation addresses this issue in a more comprehensive fashion, reporting on student work in a course dedicated to this issue and in particular exploring the issue from social, cultural, economic, and global sustainability perspectives. The presenter will report on this work in the context of his personal experience in delivering solar-powered lighting systems to a remote village in Senegal, and the first-hand experience of the conditions there. In particular, the presenter will share the validation of much of what was discovered through the work of the students, and suggest how this work might be extended to reach a much larger portion of the world in need.
