VIDEO: Soda Bottles Upcycled into Solar Light Bulbs
In 2009, 3 million households outside of Manila, Philippines, still didn’t have access to electricity, according to the country’s electrification commission.
But the MyShelter Foundation wants to help Filipino families get out of the dark, aiming to light up 1 million homes in the Philippines by the end of this year. MyShelter’s latest project, A Liter of Light, takes plastic bottles that would have otherwise been thrown away and converts them into light bulbs that channel free solar energy into homes that previously sat in darkness during day.
Developed by students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the technology is simple and easy to make. You fit a metal sheet around an old plastic bottle, then fill the bottle with water and a few drops of chlorine. After drilling a hole in the roof, place the metal sheet and bottle into the hole and seal it to prevent leaks. The bleach in the bottle prevents bacterial buildup, while the water refracts the sun’s rays, providing 55 watts of light.
To make your very own solar bottle bulb, follow A Liter of Light’s step-by-step directions on Instructables.com.
READ: New Balance Makes Plastic Bottle Sneakers
Homepage image: MyShelter Foundation
Deb Kline
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