Lights On

Pontificia Universidad Católica (Chile)

Problem:

Living without electricity prevents access to a dignified life by not being able to perform essential tasks such as refrigerating food, using household appliances or even using the bathroom. Access to affordable and sustainable electricity improves people's quality of life, providing access to better health, education and work, thus promoting the integral and equitable development of people. Unfortunately, current alternatives to solve the problem are too expensive to be implemented.

Idea:

Lights On is an innovative solution to the problem of supplying electricity to communities that don’t have access to it. These communities are usually located far from any electrical distribution network. That’s why Lights On generates an independent microgrid, supplied by renewable energies. Through the use of an integrated system of recycled lithium batteries, energy production peaks are stored and a constant and sufficient generation of electrical energy is provided for household consumption.

Main Beneficiaries:

Just in Latin America, more than 18 million people don’t have access to electricity, which is equivalent to the entire Chilean population living without electricity in their homes, and if we consider the global scale, then this number rises to more than 730 million people, equivalent to leaving the whole of Europe without electricity. Our focus is on helping people who live in regions far from power grids, as there is currently no affordable solution to provide power to such places.

Stage:

Inspiration and ideation

SDG:

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality


University:

Pontificia Universidad Católica (Chile)