Lighting the Lives of the Impoverished in India's Ruraland Tribal Drylands

摘要

About two billion people in developing countries aroundthe world lack electricity (Goldemberg and Johansson,2004). Inadequate lighting has a direct negative impact onthe health, ecology, and safety of rural households who areforced to light theirhomes with kerosene lamps, cow dungcakes, firewood from forests, and crop residues. Kerosenelamps are not only expensive but also inefficient, unhealthy,and dangerous. Furthermore, they consume significantamounts of limited global petroleum supplies and areconsequently a major source of greenhouse gases. It hasbeen estimated that kerosene lanterns in developing nationsalone annually burn 470 million barrels of oil and releaseroughly 400 billion pounds of CO2 equivalent gases intothe atmosphere (Mills, 2005). Solar photovoltaic lanternsappear to offer a practical and clean energy alternative.