DIY Solar Bottle Lamp
By Debasish Dutta
Solar Bottle Lamp is a solar-powered light that is constructed from waste plastic bottles.
Type: Social Impact, Education
Website: https://www.instructables.com/DIY-Solar-Bottle-Lamp/
About them: I am most popular as " Open Green Energy" but my real name is Debasish Dutta and I am from India. I am a Maker and Electrical Engineer with a master's degree in Power Electronics. I usually make projects related to Solar Energy and Arduino. Apart from Electronics, I love 3D printing, Woodworking, and making crafts from used household stuff. In a nutshell, I enjoy creating smart and simple solutions that solve complex problems or challenges.I am an author and post my projects on Instructables, Hackaday, PCBWay, and a few more platforms. I have won 30+ Contests on Instructables and my projects were viewed more than 11 Million.I am a social influencer with 118K+ subscribers on YouTube and 32K+ followers on Instagram.
Social:
What inspired you or what is the idea that got you started?
I belong to a rural village in India and during my childhood, I used to study under an unhealthy kerosene lamp. Still, now reliable power supply is not available in that area, students are still facing frequent power cuts during the evening which hampers their study a lot. All these problems, motivated me to come up with a sustainable solution that will be useful for rural areas. After completing my engineering, I decided to design a low-cost solar lamp for those students so that they will not face a similar situation. In the year 2014, I designed a simple solar lamp by using waste materials.
Meanwhile, during browsing through the internet, I came across Moser Bottle, which was invented by Brazilian mechanic Alfredo Moser. The concept is that clear plastic beverage bottles filled with water can be the roof of an unlit building to refract sunlight around a room.
This idea motivated me to make a fusion of a solar lamp and Moser Bottle and finally I land with " DIY Solar Bottle Lamp
What is your project about and how does it work?
DIY Solar Bottle Lamp, is a 3D-printed solar lamp that can easily be placed where any water or soft drink bottle cap would typically go, turning the bottle instantly into a solar-powered lamp that works anywhere—including when there’s no daylight.
How does the Solar Bottle Lamp work?
The solar lamp can be considered a standalone Solar Photo Voltaic (SPV) system and contains four basic components:
1. The Solar Panel receives sunlight from the sun and converts Solar Energy into Electrical Energy
2. The Controller Board charges the battery (charger) during the daytime and drives the LED (driver) during the nighttime
3. The Battery stores the Electrical Energy
4. The Load (LED) provides the desired light output
What did you learn by doing this project?
During the journey from designing a simple solar lamp from scratch to a professional-grade solar lamp, I learned a lot in the following areas:
1. Electronics Circuit Design / PCB Design
2. 3D Modeling and 3D printing
3. Solar PV energy conversion and storage technology
4. How to make sustainable products
What impact does your project have on others as well as yourself?
My project has the following impacts on others
• They will get an Instant Solar-Powered Light which is available to them anywhere
• People will reuse plastic bottles turning them into lamps with clean energy
• Solar Bottle Lamp is the best Camping Sidekick which leverages the power of solar inside your tent while camping
• People will get affordable Energy Anywhere, even remote rural communities can enjoy affordable solar-powered light
• It can provide a sustainable business opportunity for those who need it the most.
It changed my life perspective by helping people and giving smiles on their faces. This is the most pleasurable moment for me and glad I got the opportunity to serve the people by utilizing my knowledge and skills.
