Sharing Solar Light In Dark Homes: Isaac From Uganda LED Lights The World
Posted by carrie_roll
Isaac, a member of the GreenJoyment community from Uganda, has shared the following story with us about how he developed a system for solar lighting (using LEDs) in his own home, and is now helping friends, family, neighbors, and strangers, to do the same.
It’s a really amazing story, and one which we are honored that Isaac has shared with us.
And God said ” Let there be light ………….and God saw that the light was good”Genesis 1.4.
I wish that God had stopped there and had not gone on to make the night.A lot of people suffer because of darkness.Many spend millions to overcome darkness to pay for electricity, whether thermal or hydro.Many others die in fires caused by candles and kerosene lamps.Others are electrocuted by the alternating current that they invited to their homes to ward off darkness.
The photo above is that of a Prolight light emitting diode or LED. Its a simple and cheap source of light that can sort out a number of problems. Among others it’s the answer for many millions who are off the grid, the millions who cannot afford the cost of getting connected to the grid and also an answer for those on the grid who spend lots of money on electricity.Wired in a mini solar diode system, the diodes which come in various wattages eg 1, 3, 5 and 10 watts work for at least 10 years.They only need about 3.55 volts and 355 milliamps.Let me tell you the story of the crying girls who no longer cry but go to bed with their picture books to sleep under the light of one 1 watt diode like the above.
I am 51 years old , a single parent and live about 3 kilometers from the centre of Ugandas capital city Kampala.I live with my two daughters , Bellona aged 7 and Belinda who is 5.
One evening in 2006, I returned home at about 8 p.m to find the house in total darkness, the door ajar.My girls then aged 5 and 3 were sitting outside the house, on the verandah in the dark.They were sobbing.The maid who was supposed to be with them had gone to a shop nearby to borrow a candle which cost 0.1 us cents at the time.
The national electricity company had disconnected the power to the house without warning, besides pending disputes with them about how they had arrived at the amount they claimed I owed them. One had to pay big bills in spite of regular blackouts.
The image or picture of my girls crying went with me to bed that night and it stayed with me till the early hours of the morning.I did not sleep as I kept thinking of a way out of this predicament of darkness.They would not reconnect me and not only was I unable to pay their bills, I was adamant to pay.I had two good kerosene /paraffin lamps but one of the girls Bellona is asthmatic and the smoke was a danger. Candles and lamps were a common cause of fires that had destroyed lives and property in many areas.
In a few days I managed to buy two Chinese solar lamps which used about 7 LEDS of 25 milliamps (mA) and a pair of rechargeable AA batteries.Because the light was dim and we could not read we were still unhappy.Of course we were no longer paying for lighting but it was a family tradition to read something before going to bed.This was started by my father who was a bookshop manager and it had caught the grandchildren.Better light had to be found.
Having studied philosophy I began questioning whether they were no brighter LEDS.What are LEDS ? how are they made?What types are there and so on.By searching the net I was able to get some 1 watt LEDS like the one in the picture above.Through the same means I learnt how to connect them and how to find resistors for them.Of course I murdered some of them before I got all things correct.(FOR LED RESISTORS VISIT led.calc.com where you just enter the details of the LED and the calculator gives the specs of the resistor to use.The CALCULATOR will give you resistors specs for single LEDS, and for both parallel and series wiring).
Now well armed we wired some LEDS at home .We wired these to small black sealed 12 volts batteries (4 Ah to 7 Ah) and were fairly happy.We could have have good and bright light for say three to four days then the LEDS would dim because the batteries had no charger.We therefore had to carry the batteries out to a man who charged batteries every other four days.He charged us 0.25 us cents per battery.Of course he had to pay the national electricity company so he had to charge us.A solution to this business of having to carry our electricity with us everyday had to be found.Times we would rush to school and work only to return late and realize we had forgotten to take the batteries for charging.
Solar panels came as the answer only that most stockists deal in only big ones , 75 watts at usd 325 and 100 watts at about usd 500.These were high figures for a family fighting to put bread on the table.They were no second hand panels available but after a long search we got 5 watt panels at usd 30.We connected two 12 volts batteries in parallel and used one panel for them to light four 1 watt LEDS .From that point on we had little to discuss amongst the three of us, save solar lighting.We began to share every thought that we got on how to improve our systems.Even mirrors were used to reflect light from one room to another which had no light.From then we lived in peace with no threats of darkness, blackouts , disconnections or bills. Luck was however knocking on the door.
Among the friends I shared this information with was a journalist who was obliged to produce an article for a daily once a week.Then came energy week .As he tossed and turned searching his mind about the weeks article he remembered what I had told him.He called me and interviewed me.(newspaper is called the Monitor It may have the top or second highest circulation here in Uganda.The article appeared on page 25 on 15 Nov 2008 under the heading USE SOLAR LIGHTING TO SAVE MONEY.www.monitor.co.ug.It was written by Kelvin Kizito Kiyingi)
A flood of phone calls came the same day and I spent 3 days basically doing nothing but responding to phone callers.With a population of 31 million people here in Uganda, only about 3 million are on the grid and of these about 2.7 million are in the urban areas.Not surprisingly however we got many calls from urban dwellers .Some were unable to pay the grid connections, others could not afford the high monthly bills and others were irked by the regular blackouts.Many other callers were in the rural areas where the grid was absent.
We responded immediately and started installing our systems when called upon to .Although we are financially limited to buy LEDS, solar panels, batteries and to do advertising so as to get more people aware of the chance they have to light their homes, we have been able to wire about 20 homes in 45 days.Among others are the following;
-the home of an old retired civil servant named Mr.Okia .He lives at Kachumbala about 9 kms from the town of Mbale in Eastern Uganda.We wired 5 LEDS of 1 watt at Usd 175.This has 3 small 5 watt panels attached to his roof.He is on 256 701 717215.We have been there twice , the second time having gone to take more panels.On the second occasion we bought some guineafowls from his son which we could not bring along because we had to travel 60 kms on a motorcycle at night to go and see another client in Tororo.
- a clinic in the village of Gayaza about 30 minutes drive from Kampala.This is a private clinic run by a plastic surgeon named Dr.Lule.He works in the main Kampala hospital of Mulago and then goes to the Gayaza clinic after working hours to help the residents of Gayaza who need his services.To get connected to the grid one has to put usd 225 down,then the company will send surveyors to ones premises to be followed by a long time of waiting sometimes between 3 months to a year.Where poles or pylons are absent the applicant has to bear the cost .This may be up to 300 usd per pole.We wired Dr Lules clinic with 5 three watt LEDs .One at the reception, one in the sickbay, one in the doctors room, the nurses room and the labolatory.We charged the doctor only usd 225 and the initial job was done in one day.The survey was done on the spot and of course we don’t use pylons otherwise the clinic would still be in darkness today.The doctor has no bills to pay.Thanks to the SUN!.Dr .Lule can be reached on 256 75 2650916.
-Josephs home is about 5 kms from the town of Tororo in Eastern Uganda.I have not seen such a dark night as the one I saw in this area.We wired ten 1 watt diodes in his home and we were happy to leave his home at 8 p.m noting that his compound was alight and the family were all outside.As we left we had to remind them that they were all outside the house but had left all the lights on in the house.I got home at 4 am the next morning.
Joseph can be reached on 256 782 657413.
-Mr.Selulyo is a traditional doctor(am NOT sure whether he is a voodoo man also and am not sure he can speak English leave alone understand it) who lives in a small township called Matugga outside Kampala.He bought two 1watt LEDS from us and we taught him how to connect them.He did it and he now has light and pays nobody for the light.He can be reached on 256 75 2 947179.
This story tells you that you can help some of the 28 million Ugandans who live in darkness by helping us to help them.We can light a two roomed house with gadgets worth only 66 usdollars.6 dollars for a LED, and 30 dollars each a battery and a solar panel.Light a home and save life, enable the child to read, save people from snake bites, smoke, domestic fires and so on.Without light in a home knowledge as a light in peoples lives will be very difficult to attain.No one can develop in darkness.
Today I may travel to as far as I am called and work in comfort.I am no longer haunted by that picture of my girls sobbing in the darkness.Today thegirls even know how to connect LEDS for themselves, to repair faults in the system , to connect and disconnect solar panelsThey know that when we are on the balcony, the lights elsewhere must be switched off to save energy.As they say they cannot know whether it will rain tomorrow but do know that they will need light tomorrow evening, which light they should save now.Today the girls can follow the family tradition and go to their large bed with their picture books and read themselves to sleep.The girls can now return from the Kapoeira club after dark to return to a green home where there is light, no disconnections, no blackouts, no bills and no tears from them or their 51 year old Dad.
How many girls, mums and dads sit in darkness among the 28 million Ugandans? How about in the rest of the world?
In his infinite wisdom God created light before He created man and the animals.You are made in his image and you can contribute by lighting a home somewhere on this globe.
Isaac Kibalama
Kampala
Uganda
TEL 256 712 982 142
kibalama_i [AT] yahoo.com
GreenJoyment community, if you can think of ways to help Isaac in this work, please do so.
If we need to set up a way for you to be able to donate to fund this work, please let us know through the comments below or through the contact form.
If you are doing something similar in your part of the world, and would like us to post about it on GreenJoyment, please write your experiences and share them with us.
16 Responses to “Sharing Solar Light In Dark Homes: Isaac From Uganda LED Lights The World”
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Ambrose Walimbwa says:
Hello Isaac, your contribution in this regard cannot go unnoticed. Be blessed.
I am Ambrose
254 721 955 149 -
Nagawa Kibalama says:
Isaac,
Your resourcefulness and courage to start something new inspires me. I am sure your story resonates with millions of other families in the world. I would like to help you in any way possible. What kind of support would you like from me or other people around the world? Please feel free to contact me through my email
Nagawa -
Lule Kasule says:
Isaac i knew you as a spirited badminton players, a father to my very good cousin and an uncle to a very good freind (Canaan) seeing you take this extra mile is inspiring i hope it comes out a much bigger project and also bring many more success stories you are definately doing better than umeme. With the decreasing water levels and unreliable services plus the ever escalating electricity charges, you are trully finding a solution.
Hope you take out more time and come and see how californians have benefitted from solar power. My only worry is theft of the solar panels as a construction consultant 1999 – 2002 i met a couple of clients including MTN and UTL who were always complaining about the missing solar panels won’t these panels be a magnet to these wrong doers and also what are the costs of mantaining/ servicing per year or per month if you include that kind of information in your article it will provide a better picture to individuals lookking for alternative power sources.
Thank you once again -
JOANITA KATO says:
This is good innovation, thanx for the great work. We will provide a supporting hand where we can.
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colton watters says:
i have a project to get into the gifted program ineedto intrest my teacher so i can be challenged i need to build a house that will have heat power with solar and wind power can you get me started
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VICTOR NWAIGWE says:
isaac you are wonderful i have been looking for ur type how wiil i know u more
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Satish R Bansal says:
Dear Mr. Issac
Hats Off to u. U really done wonderfull job and u deserves an international award not only saving money but also helpinh people. also you should get best enterprenureship award. Keep the spirits up and go on.
Satish -
Pamela Nyaribo-Alunga. says:
Isaac,
You are wonderful, to have taken that extra step so that your little girls can smile and read again. My husband and I hope to build our own house soon, God willing, if we can talk to you and you give us more info then, would be really good of you.
We live in Kenya and suffer the same problems as you do in Uganda concerning electrcity.
Thanx for Inspering us. Be Blessed.
Pamela. -
I appreciate your efforts in helping ugandans to have mordern lights to be used in their houses and in communuty centres. Can you please advise those who haven’t got chance yet of using solar light, how they can get it. Thank you.
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atoya says:
i love your head isaac
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Elza Hubert says:
Isaac, I think you had a wonderfull idea and think it’s wonderfull how quickly and cheaply you’ve helped all these families. I am working on a project in Argentina and am looking for the easiest, cheapest way to bring electricity into ahome, i have allready thought of using solar panels and wind mills to add to the houses.. maybe you would have advice? Thank you so much
ps: colton watters maybe we should get in touch.. I’m working practicaly on the same thing..! -
Hi Elza,
We started a forum at http://www.GreenJoyment.com/forum so that people could get in touch. Perhaps go there and see who is there and who can help?
Thank you!
Warmest,
Jonathan -
TWO says:
Salam Isaac!
your work is brilliant keep that spirit high. I am in Pakistan and as you may know the condition of electricity here ,so i wanna do something for may country. Please help me
i am student of Telecommunication Engg. -
I think this is the best thing that ever happened to me this year.I knew about solar lifgting and and wind power but now i get to build it for such a minimal price.Thank again for the information on the computer.
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iqtidar hussain says:
please send me more information
Hullo Isaac,
I’m really impressed by your innovativeness. Please Keep the spirit-up!
Thank you….
Henry,
+256 (0) 77 4462010
+256 (0) 75 4462010