MILAN – Is it possible for a light bulb not to use electricity? Yes, if it is made out of a plastic bottle filled with water and bleach, and if the energy used does not come from a plug socket, but rather from the sun. The inventor of this new lighting method is Alfredo Moser, a Brazilian mechanic who has never wanted to patent his invention.

History

It all began rather randomly in 2002, when the Brazilian mechanic, who has always strived to make his house in Uberaba as comfortable as possible, was faced with one of the frequent blackouts that affect the area. How can you brighten up a dark corrugated-iron house even during the day? The idea Moser had was to use the refraction of light, which can be refracted within the house as it passes through elements of different densities.

The idea

This brainwave prompted him to develop a lamp using just a plastic bottle, water and bleach. The light is installed by inserting the bottle into a hole made in the thin metal roof, taking care to waterproof the edges. As the sunlight hits the water-filled bottle it enters the house and illuminates the space. Meanwhile, the bleach merely prevents algae and impurities in the water and the bottle. The results are guaranteed. As Moser says, “Of course it does depend on how much sunlight there is. However, the engineer who came to measure the amount of light produced said that it was more or less the same as a traditional light bulb, between 40 and 60 watts.” It’s enough to light up a dark interior and even to make it bright enough to perform work.

The trend

We already discussed this experiment some time ago when we told the story of the Solar Bottle Bulbs. The project was created by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in order to save energy in all poor areas across the world. The project was first applied in a suburb of Nairobi, in Kenya, where most families are extremely poor and cannot afford electricity, candles or other sources of light.

by editorial staff