Light Up The World Foundation

Karl — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:49:46 -0500

I am well aware of the Light Up The World Foundation mentioned in your blog and have had the privilege to see their work in action while overseas on development related travels. I got excited when I first heard about them too. Interested parties should know though that in the opinion of many development professionals - and end users alike - the organization lacks both the quality technology and the capacity to take a good idea and really do something with it despite being in operation for over a decade. While their hearts are in the right place the products and services they provide really fall short of their claims. Its a great idea though as lighting really does make a big difference in peoples' lives. There is a lot of room and opportunity out there for organizations that can get it right. See the World Bank's initiative, "Light Up Africa." Cheers all. Karl

A BoP Energy Source?

Rob Katz — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 15:31:37 -0500

Guest blogger Bill Kramer is principal of The Global Challenge Network, LLC, an executive education and training company. From 2001 through mid-2007, he worked on pro-poor business strategies with WRI. Previously, Bill founded a non-profit focusing on the relationship of knowledge to economic development and enjoyed a long career in the private sector, founding a dozen companies, most of which were in the book business.

By Bill Kramer

This week's Economist magazine has a story, which also appeared in The New York Times last Sunday, about a new "energy harvester" invented by Max Donelan of Simon Fraser University.

The new device uses the knee's walking motion to drive gears, which in turn drive a small generator. The 13 watts of power won't run a machine shop, but it will recharge phones and other small devices, such as small task lights.

As the Economist article points out, this is adding to the growing list of BoP-useful energy producing products -- Rory Stear's crank devices (which are growing in power, utility and application) and LED lighting. (For more on LED lighting, see the Light Up The World Foundation.) Given the scarcity of power in much of the developing world, and the destructiveness (and expense) of providing light and power, every new advance is important.

Bio-mechanical energy harvesting is too new a technology to have spawned a set of business notions that would take it to scale, but I can think of a few worth keeping an eye on.

(This post continues past the break; click "Read More" to continue)

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Light Up The World Foundation

A BoP Energy Source?