BUY NOW! Solar powered torch!

[Levellass]

So not too long ago int he grand scheme of things, a few years in fact, solar powered torches were... well jokes. Many people (but not that many.) made them for friends and family, especially those with a scientific or engineering bent. One of these was an ex-Marine by the name of mark Bent. While researching a way to get reliable night illumination to the world's poorest people ho bought home a standard flashlight with a hastily wired on solar panel for his son. It would work perfectly well, in full sunlight. Ha ha ha.

It was not too long after this however when he discovered his son using that same flashlight in the middle of the night. Perplexed at this he asked how it was working. His son replied that 'the batteries weren't working, so I got some new ones.' The original A3 batteries were completely flat so the child had replaced them with a pair of rechargeable batteries which would charge during the day, allowing the torch to work later. The torch was rather poor, about half an hour of use since it was never meant to actually work, but Mark was immediately struck by the potential. 'Why isn't anyone doing this?' was his motto from then on.

It took a while to get a working design however, and about $250,000, but the final design is nothing short of incredible. Capable of lasting 20 years they require their batteries replaced every 3 or so years, at a cost of 80 cents. They use the (now cheap) more efficient LEDs to make light instead of bulbs. They don't need a functioning gird, no dangerous and polluting diesel generators to recharge. a day's charge will result in 7 hours of night light. The flashlights usually sell for about $19.95 in American stores, but he has established a BoGo – for Buy One, Give One – program on his Web site, where if you buy one flashlight for $25, he will buy and ship another one to Africa, and donate $1 to one of the aid groups he works with. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ92RGKFIdo

Mark Bent and his company SunNight Solar are truly changing the way the world works. http://www.entrepreneursforachange.com/ ... go-lights/


And you expected a spam topic didn't you?

[Keening_Product]

That's neat! At my local community radio station there is a torch which foes a great job of storing energy generated from a dynamo inside the torch. There is a sort-of-handle-kinda-thing that you squeeze repeatedly which can either go straight to the light for short bursts or to the battery for charging. Awesome little thing and seems quite cheep to make, too!

And you expected a spam topic didn't you?

You got my deleting finger all excited for nothing.