LED home lighting and stoves donated to rural communities

At an event in the municipality of Stanger, initiated by South African President Jacob Zuma and attended by UN officials Helen Clark and Kandeh Yumkella, Philips showcased its low-carbon solutions to improve the lives of people living in rural communities without access to the electricity grid.

Philips supplied 200 LED solar home lighting systems, solar lanterns and solar torches. The home lighting system is a complete LED lighting kit that has been designed to provide low-cost, highly efficient bright light for households and small businesses. The central solar panel-charged battery pack powers two LED lights. A full day's charging in the sun will provide enough light for a whole evening.

Cheaper and safer

The benefits are considerable since it is not only cheaper to run than kerosene lamps but it is also safer as there is no fire risk as with kerosene. The LED lighting systems enable people to undertake more social and economic activities beyond sunset. Furthermore, this LED lighting solution provides children with the opportunity to do homework in the evenings.

Philips also supplied 30 new woodstoves in the municipality to improve the lives of those who rely on biomass for their daily cooking. The specially designed stoves are extremely efficient and significantly reduce the cutting of trees for cooking as they use little twigs as fuel. In addition, the new cook stove cuts back carbon emissions by 90%. Furthermore, toxic fumes can be cut by 95% thus slashing the health risks of indoor cooking.