Indiegogo campaign set to revolutionise disaster relief with off-grid power source
Deciwatt has launched the new Nowlight the next generation renewable energy solution to provide light anywhere, anytime.
The team’s first product, the award-winning GravityLight, captured imaginations with a light powered by a falling weight. Their new product, the Nowlight, takes the design one step further by combining the best of their original power and introducing leading solar and battery technology. The Nowlight was designed to address energy poverty. With one in seven people live without access to electricity and millions more only have unreliable power. During the design process, the Deciwatt team created a solution that’s equally at home in off-grid homes in sub-Saharan Africa as it is brightening up BBQs or preparing for power-cuts worldwide. The device functions as both a light, and an off-grid electricity source using manual power.
The innovative an extremely versatile hybrid solution that can be charged off-grid using a variety of methods including solar and kinetic. The team have designed the light to function using a one pull of a cord to generates a minute of light, as well as using a solar powered 3W panel, or the Nowlight can be charged from the mains. This hybrid system is what they are most excited about as it allows you to generate meaningful and useful amounts of power without being reliant on clear skies.
Nowlight has just been launched on Indiegogo today in a crowdfunding campaign that seeks to raise $75,000 to start manufacture. The team are collaborating with the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) by offering Buy1Give1 options to distribute and test nowlights with refugee families in Rwanda.
Deciwatt’s CEO Caroline Angus told How it Works, “Over 89% of families in refugees camps don’t have access to electricity. What this meant for the families I recently met in Rwanda and Uganda was that, with no money for lighting, life was completely dictated by daylight hours. People felt unsafe if they had to go out after dark and they couldn’t see hazards like snakes or scorpions in their homes. Early response to nowlight prototype testing in East Africa has been hugely positive, so I’m excited that this Indiegogo campaign will help launch nowlight and our ambitions to tackle energy poverty at scale around the world.”
It’s hoped that the Nowlight can be used for various situations, from off the grid living, to emergency relief and humanitarian aid, to emergency preparedness, to simply providing light when camping.
Visit https://igg.me/at/nowlight to see the nowlight crowdfunding campaign.
About Deciwatt:
Deciwatt is a social startup, based in London (UK), that designs renewable energy solutions. Our team is driven by the desire to tackle energy poverty – by developing clean, safe and affordable lights.
Our first solution, GravityLight has been recognized with multiple design awards – from D&AD’s Black and White Pencils and 3 Bronze Lions at Cannes, to ‘tech for good’ accolades – including the Nominet Trust 100, Nesta’s New Radicals and Siemens Stiftung Empowering People award.
Crowdfunding on Indiegogo and support from the Innovate UK have been critical in the development and launch of both GravityLight and – fingers crossed – nowlight!
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