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Solar  Lanterns  Test:
Shades of Light
IMPRInt
Published by:
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
technische Zusammenarbeit (GtZ) GmbH
Postfach 5180
6576 Eschborn
Germany
t +49 61 96 79-0
F +49 61 96 79-11 15
E info@gtz.de
I www.gtz.de

Authors:
Roman Grüner, Stephan Lux,
Kilian Reiche, thomas Schmitz-Günther

Photos:
Jürgen Gocke; Frauenhofer ISE

Design:
die Basis | Kommunikation. Ideenwerk. Design.

Print: 
Druckerei Klaus Koch, Wiesbaden



Eschborn, May 009
In their outward appearance the solar
                         lanterns tested mostly resemble the
                         kerosene lamps they are intended to
                                                     replace.
                                                Photo: Gocke




SoLaR LantERnS tESt: SHaDES oF LIGHt
Torches and lanterns that obtain their energy from sunlight could replace environmentally damaging kero-
sene lamps in many developing countries and supply high quality light to a large proportion of poor house-
holds. For this, however, the products must be well-made and priced within the reach of the poorest people. 
A laboratory test shows that there are still too few solar-powered lanterns that meet both criteria.




Today, more than 1.5 billion people in Africa, Asia and         Kerosene: a Local and Global
Latin America live without the benefits of electricity. When    Environmental Hazard
the sun goes down, however, their day is far from over:
when the daily work in the fields is done, family and social    According to a report published in the American scientific
life take over, goods are sold at night markets, and kiosks     journal Science in 2005, 77 billion litres of fuel are burned
and community centres become meeting points for village         in kerosene lamps every year. That amounts to 1.3 million
locals. Not until late at night do housewives find the op-      barrels of oil per day. The oil consumption of these tradi-
portunity to sew or do housework, and many students only        tional lamps represents about one third of worldwide pri-
get down to work after nightfall.                               mary energy demand for domestic lighting and is responsi-
Lighting for these colourful scenes comes in many forms.        ble for emissions of 190 million tonnes of CO2 greenhouse
The wealthy are able to afford diesel generators, while the     gas per year. Moreover, cheap kerosene lamps give off other
poorest must make do with candlelight and the glow from         emissions that are harmful to health, and pose a significant
the fire. But the most common source of artificial light        fire risk.
in countries such as Kenya, Peru and Afghanistan is the
kerosene lamp – ranging from simple low-cost wick lamps         an alternative: Solar-powered Lanterns
to the high-quality pressure lamps with gas mantles that
are popular among campers in Europe. The luminous effi-         In an effort to curb this wasteful use of resources, devel-
cacy of many traditional methods of lighting is very low        opment organisations have been propagating alternative
and also poor value-for-money: lamp oil and candles cost        lighting technologies for two decades, among them so-
a typical household in developing countries some 40 to 80       lar-powered solutions. In these devices, solar cells convert
US dollars per year (actual expenses vary greatly depending     sunlight into electricity during the day that charges a bat-
on international fuel prices, national taxes and household      tery, which then produces light for use after dark. The most
behaviour).                                                     common lighting source used in such solar systems is the
                                                                compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), though recently more
                                                                efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become more
                                                                widespread.
Shoddy workmanship, which compromises
                                                   the durability of a system, can usually be
                                                   recognised at sight.
                                                   Photo: ISE




Progress in solar technology has recently led to a growing           Following exhaustive research on solar lanterns currently
use of solar-powered lighting solutions in developing coun-          on the market, twelve promising models were selected for
tries. Particularly in rural areas with a dispersed population,      technical examination and tested by the Fraunhofer Insti-
where connection to the electricity grid would be uneco-             tute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, Germany.
nomic, solar lighting systems are a promising alternative.           This examination is the preliminary stage of a field test that
Solar lighting systems may broadly be divided into three             GTZ plans for 2009. Experience in development coopera-
classifications: simple models, similar to ordinary torches,         tion shows that one thing must be avoided at the outset:
are already available in many countries for a retail price of        that users of cheap and inadequate devices should become
about ten US dollars. These are sometimes sold with a crank          so disillusioned that the entire technology is discredited.
dynamo in place of the solar cells. Luminous efficacy and
durability are usually poor. Such low-cost lanterns often
last for only a month, or give light for only a few minutes.
At the other end of the price scale are ‘solar home systems’
with a solar module of 20 to 100 watts and an optimised
car battery, capable of powering several lights, a radio and
a TV set simultaneously. Although some three million such
solar home systems have already been installed worldwide,
for most users they remain unaffordable: in Africa and
Latin America they cost between 500 and 1000 US dollars.
Only in Asia are they somewhat less expensive.
For its testing of PV lighting technology, therefore, GTZ
(German technical cooperation) has concentrated on a
third product category, which is rapidly gaining impor-
tance: solar lanterns or ‘pico-PV systems’ whose retail prices
currently fall between the two extremes above. In their out-
                                                                         Table 1: Cost comparison
ward appearance they resemble kerosene lamps – but they
promise greater lighting convenience and minimal running
                                                                          Lighting system           typical cost (USD / klmh)
costs. In most models available so far, a small solar module
– typically with a capacity of 3 to 10 watts – is separate                Candle                    .00
from the lantern, so that it can be placed outdoors without
                                                                          Kerosene lamp             0.10 – 1.00
the lantern being exposed to the weather. The best of these
lanterns can be hung indoors or placed on a table, but are also           Solar lanterns            0.10 – 4.00
portable enough to light the way when walking at night.
                                                                          Solar home system         0.04
Another way in which these ‘pico-PV systems’ stand out
from simple solar torches is the auxiliary uses available                 Mains electricity         0.01
on many newer models. These offer outputs for a radio,
a mobile phone charger or other functions, thus making
                                                                         Estimated unit costs of lighting from different
a minimal basic provision of electrically powered micro-
                                                                         sources, measured in kilolumen-hours. Kerosene
devices conceivable for all poor rural populations in the
                                                                         prices fluctuate widely. Lighting costs of better
near future.
                                                                         solar lanterns are currently roughly at par with
                                                                         kerosene lamps. Several solar lantern manufactur-
                                                                         ers have announced significant price reductions for
                                                                         009.



4
90.00
             80.00
             70.00
             60.00
  Phi / lm


             50.00
             40.00
             0.00                                                                             the luminous flux of the astral aS01
             0.00                                                                             (dark blue curve) falls sharply relative to
             10.00                                                                             other tested solar LED lanterns after only
              0.00                                                                             100 operating hours.
                     0     500     1000    1500    000       500   000        500   4000   Source: ISE

                                                   t/h

                           aSo1      SoLaR 007      Mightylight    SoLUX 100




                     Graph 1: Degradation of the light output of poor low-power LEDs




the Preliminary test

In an initial testing phase ISE examined all twelve systems             Nor did the two lanterns from the Chinese manufacturer
for quality of workmanship. Five of the worst examples                  Astral Solar pass the preliminary test. The CFL-based A­stral
were eliminated and not passed to the next stage of test-               A­S018 failed on the basis of sloppy physical construction
ing. Simple methods – that can be performed with ease                   with wiring that broke off, defective switches, faulty elec-
in developing countries – were used to test the function-               tronics and a lack of weather protection. The A­stral A­S021
ing of the devices. Mechanical and electrical parts, such               displayed similar shortcomings in workmanship such as
as soldered joints and plug connectors, were examined for               poorly soldered joints. The cable between lantern and solar
durability; and the layout of the electronic components,                module is so short that the lantern must be placed out-
the weather protection and the exterior quality of the solar            doors along with the module. Moreover the LEDs used are
module were evaluated.                                                  unfavourably wired, resulting in a very low efficiency. The
One of the few models in which the solar module is built                decisive factor in failing this system, however, was the lack
into the lantern, the Chinese Global Marketing Technologies             of deepdischarge protection. As a result, the battery will be
SL9000SW, failed because the fold-out mechanism for the                 damaged in a very short time.
module is not robust, the module itself is poorly made and
not resistant to rain. In addition, the main switch did not
function correctly. The Macro-Solar MS-L01, from China,
was also rejected because of its very low light output.
The unit’s 14 LEDs give very inconstant light, after only
30 minutes luminous efficacy fell to around 20 %.
The most poorly constructed solar lantern in the test was
the Wuara 2212 SL from a South African company, whose
price, however, at about ten dollars, is also extremely low.
But its performance does not even live up to this low price.
With its poor LED output, the system most closely resem-
bles a cheap garden lantern: after two hours, light output
falls to practically zero. Here again the solar module is built
into the lantern and not weather-protected. A loose con-
tact in the switch and a foot that comes off only add to the
poor impression.




                                                                                                                                        5
Solar Lanterns Test (pico-PV systems)


Product photo




Product name                                      Sun x-set mobile Aishwarya NEST-6543         Solar 2007-1        Solux LED 100         Mightylight 3040       Solux 50         Glowstar GS7           AS018                        AS021                    MS01                     SL9000SW                Wuara 2212SL

                                                                        Noble Energy Solar     Solarprojekt                               Cosmos Ignite                                               Astral Solar                Astral Solar            Macro-Solar             Global Marketing            SolEnergy Africa
Manufacturer                                       Würth Solergy        Technologies Ltd.     Freilassing e.V.       Solux e.V.             Innovations         Solux e.V.        Sollatek Ltd      Technology Co.               Technology Co.        Technology Co. Ltd         Technologies Inc.                PTY Ltd
                                                     (Germany)               (India)            (Germany)            (Germany)                (India)          (Germany)              (UK)              (China)                     (China)                  (China)                     (China)               (South Africa)

                                                                                             www.solarprojekt-
Internet address                                 www.we-online.de       www.solarnest.net                          www.solux.org       www.cosmosignite.com   www.solux.org     www.sollatek.com   www.astsolar.com           www.astsolar.com www.macro-solar.com                www.gmtems.com           www.solenergycc.com
                                                                                               freilassing.de

Weight in kg (lamp)                                      0.7                   1.2                  0.6                  0.5                    0.5                0.5                3.2                 n. s.                        0.9                      0.8                        2.1                        0.5

Light source                                             CFL                   CFL                 LED                  LED                    LED                 LED                CFL                 CFL                         LED                      LED                         CFL                       LED

Battery                                              NiMH / Lead              Lead                 NiMH                NiMH                   NiMH                NiMH               Lead                Lead                        Lead                     NiMH                        Lead                        n. s.

Module                                                external               external            external             external               external           external            external            external                    external                 external                   integral                   integral
                                                 12 V socket, battery                          Radio can be                                3 brightness                                            6 V socket, mobile              steplessly                                            Radio,
Additional utility                                                            no    2)                           2 brightness levels                                no            12 V socket                                                                   no                                                    no
                                                    charger unit                                connected                                    levels 3)                                               phone charger                 dimmable                                           flashing light
Preliminary test
Function                                                  2                     3                    1                   1                      1                   1                  3                    2                          2                         5                          3                             5

Visual examination: lantern                               4                     3                    1                   1                      1                   3                  1                    4                          4                         2                          4                             5

Lantern mechanics                                         2                     3                    1                   1                      1                   4                  3                    5                          5                         2                          4                             5

Electrical components                                     2                     2                    1                   1                      1                   2                  2                    4                          4                         4                          4                             5

Electronic components                                     4                     2                    3                   4                      3                   4                  2                    4                          4                         4                          4                             2

Weather protection                                        4                     4                    2                   1                      2                   4                  4                  n. s.                        2                         4                          5                             5

Visual examination: module                               n. s.                  2                    2                   2                      2                   3                  3                    2                          3                         3                          6                             5

Module mechanics                                         n. s.                  2                    2                   3                      2                   4                  4                    2                          4                         2                          5                             5

User manual                                               2                     2                    2                   2                      3                   2                  1                    5                          5                         5                          4                             3

Preliminary evaluation                               satisfactory          satisfactory            good                 good                   good            satisfactory       satisfactory           poor                         poor                     poor                       poor                    very poor

Main test
Deviation of solar module from specifications             1                    1.5                  3.5                  4                      1.5                 2                  4

Battery capacity deviation (5 %)                          1                     1                    1                   1                      2                   2                  1

Battery capacity loss in continuous test (5 %)            1                     -                    2                   1                      5                   1                  -

Efficiency of charge controller (15 %)                    1                     1                    2                   1                      4.5                 1                  3

Efficiency of ballast unit (5 %)                          2                     4                    1                   1                      3                   1                  3                 Products that achieve the same score are arranged alphabetically by product name.
Cycle test / degradation                                 ok                    ok                   ok                   ok                     ok                  ok                -1                 Overview of marks: 1.0-1.4: very good; 1.5-2.4: good; 2.5-3.4: satisfactory; 3.5-4.4: poor; 4.5-5.0 very poor;
                                                                                                                                                                                                         n. s. = not specified
Breakage test                                            ok                    -0.5                 ok                   ok                     ok                  ok                ok

Luminous flux (10 %)                                      1                     1                    4                   2.5                    2.5                 2                  1                 Notes:

Luminous efficacy (5 %)                                   2                     2                    4                   2                      2                  1.5                 3                 1) Mark    reduced by one point because of lack of weather resistance.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         2) Alongside   the model tested, this manufacturer also produces a similar model that includes a radio that
Solar fraction (20 %)                                     1                     3                    1                   1                      1                   1                  4
                                                                                                                                                                                                           costs approx. USD 8 more.
Burn time / light duration (20 %)                         1                     2                   1.5                  1                      4                   3                  3                 3) Alongside   the model tested, the manufacturer produces a similar model that includes a mobile phone
Main test evaluation                                  very good               good                 good                 good               satisfactory       satisfactory 1)         poor                 charger that costs approx. USD 10 more.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         4) In
Costs                                                                                                                                                                                                            early 2009, the manufacturer offered a one-lantern version of this system for about USD 350 CIF price
                                                                                                                                                                                                           to GTZ.
Purchase price CIF, USD (2008)                          500    4)             52    5)              122                 117                    55   6)              36               210    7)
                                                                                                                                                                                                         5) The   manufacturer announced price reductions in 2009.
Running cost per month, USD                              30                     1                    4                   2                      3                   2                 12                 6) In    early 2009, the manufacturer announced improved battery charging and price reductions of about
Running cost per kilolumen-hour, USD                     2.6                   0.1                  1.0                  0.4                    0.6                0.2                0.7                  one third.
                                                                                                                                                                                                         7) According   to the manufacturer, the Glowstar price has fallen in 2009.
Price-to-performance winner:
the difference in light quality
                              is obvious: here is the brightest
                                     lantern and the weakest.
                                                  Photo: Gocke




the Shortlist

Thus seven solar lanterns reached the second testing stage,        and discharge protection, and the ballast for efficiency.
of which four are German-made: the Solux LED 100 and               An additional cycle test was carried out on the CFLs for
Solux LED 50 of the Solux e.V. development assistance              switching endurance. The central issue of the laboratory
project, the Solar 2007-1 by the Freilassing solar promo-          examination was, however, the testing of the light perform-
tion project, and the sun x-set mobile produced by Würth.          ance criteria – measuring the luminous flux and luminous
Of these, the products of the two non-profit projects make         efficacy, and calculating the solar fraction of the lanterns.
an impression with their individual and functional design,         Finally, the maximum light duration on a full battery was
while the system design from the manufacturer Würth                measured.
drops out of the picture since it offers two lanterns and          Operating costs of the products were established in addi-
a separate charging station allowing for a variety of addi-        tion to the technical testing, in terms of both the lifetime
tional functions such as operation of a radio. This product        of the batteries contained in the system and the actual light
therefore comes closer to a solar home system – a fact that        output. While the calculation of monthly running costs
is reflected in the price. Alongside these, the shortlisted        based on lifetime should be structured in terms of a typi-
systems included the Glowstar GS7 of the British com-              cal customer’s use (to allow a direct comparison with the
pany Sollatek, the A­ishwarya NEST-6543 of the Indian              costs of kerosene or candles), the calculation of measured
manufacturer Noble Energy and the Mightylight 3040, also           light output is more complex – yet is the one on which the
Indian made. The latter model was one of the first mass-           value-for-money of the systems can most fairly be based.
produced products in this market sector and may have the           To get a yardstick for the price-to-performance ratio, the
widest distribution of all the products tested. The ISE test       running costs obtained in the test must be placed in rela-
engineers still noted a number of shortcomings even in the         tion to other forms of lighting (see Table 1). However, the
preferred models. They criticised the Glowstar for wrongly         running costs can only be considered an approximate basis
designed circuitry; the A­ishwarya was not considered suffi-       for calculation. This is primarily because the durability of
ciently robust, the Solux LED 100 and Solar 2007-1 lacked          the battery can only be estimated very crudely.
current control for the LEDs, as did the Mightylight, which
also did not have any form of charge control. The examin-
ers found shoddy workmanship in the Solux LED 50 and               test Results
criticised the significant divergence in quality in the sun
x-set mobile between the Chinese-made lighting systems             The winner of the technical test was, without doubt, the
and the well-constructed base charging station.                    sun x-set mobile. Even if the two lanterns do not show the
                                                                   best workmanship, the system functions with the largest
                                                                   and most powerful module by far and with an outstand-
Major Differences in the Main test                                 ingly good and versatile charging station. The extremely
                                                                   high purchase price and consequently huge operating costs,
The seven selected systems were subjected to an indepth            however, force this system unequivocally out of the range
laboratory examination. The actual output of the solar             discussed here. These are almost ten times the comparison
module was compared with that specified by the manu-               costs of kerosene lamps, thus making any argument that
facturer. The capacity of the batteries was examined, with         the target group should adopt this new lighting system
NiMH rechargeable batteries further subjected to a dura-           untenable. Certainly, the high-quality charging unit of-
bility test. The charge controller was checked for efficiency      fers a whole range of additional functions. But in this price




8
outlook

bracket the potential customer will probably opt for a solar     The quality of solar lanterns on the market is mixed, and
home system or a diesel generator. Of the systems rated          prices are still too high for them to sell in great numbers in
‘good’ in technical terms, the Indian A­ishwarya stands out      view of the low saving rates of poor households. However,
because of its especially favourable price. It failed to at-     we expect prices to drop below 50 % of 2008 values over
tract a better technical evaluation only because of its faulty   the next few years, which will make solar lanterns clearly
ballast and minor issues in workmanship. The A­ishwarya          more economic than kerosene lamps. As they offer higher
is therefore the clear winner in the price-to-performance        quality lighting, better handling, environmental advantages
comparison.                                                      and sometimes radio or mobile phone charging, massive
In the ‘good’ technical category, two other products are         market growth can be expected in the near future – despite
ranked behind this model, both from German develop-              the limiting influence of higher upfront payments for solar
ment initiatives. The systems did not achieve a better rank-     lanterns (which can only partly be addressed through cred-
ing because of their unsatisfactory solar modules. While the     its). In light of the mixed test results, informing potential
Solux LED 100 otherwise deserved a ‘very good’ rating in         consumers about lantern quality will be of great importance
technical terms, the weak light output of the Solar 2007-1       for a healthy market development.
counted against it. Taking into account their substantially
higher price, both systems fall by one grade. Their purchase
price is higher than the annual lighting costs of the typical
target household, and the running costs are also substan-
tially higher than those of most other systems examined.
Thus in terms of value-for-money the two German solar               Price-to-performance winner:
lanterns fall behind the systems technically assessed as ‘sat-      aishwarya nESt-654
isfactory’. In this category the second Indian system, the          Photo: Gocke
original Mightylight, shows up well. Here a better technical
assessment is prevented mainly by the poor battery durabil-
ity and the lack of a ballast. The manufacturer has, how-
ever, prompted by this test result, already brought an im-
proved version to market. The German Solux LED 50 just
succeeded in gaining a positive rating for its price perform-
ance. The chief fault on this especially bright and handy
lantern is its lack of weather resistance.
The Glowstar failed both the technical test and in terms of
value-for-money. This unusually heavy and cumbersome
lantern was a pioneer of the market sector, but exhibits de-
fects in workmanship and offers only a poor solar fraction
and modest light duration.




                                                                                                                             9
table criteria:



     testing Criteria: Preliminary test                                          testing Criteria: Main test

     The distribution of marks in the preliminary test is based on the           The system for marking in the main test begins with a base value 
     following examiner’s checklist:                                             of 1 for each category, from which points are deducted for indi-
                                                                                 vidual faults or shortcomings. These are assessed as follows: 
     Function: Does the lantern function? How is the distribution of 
     light? Does the lantern cause glare? Is the switch mechanically             Deviation of solar module from nominal rating: Does the 
     robust? Can an illumination be created on a level surface that is           system deliver the nominal rated values of power output, open-
     sufficient to allow reading / writing?                                      circuit voltage and shortcircuit current? If these are less than 
     Visual examination of lanterns: Operating elements, displays                90 % of rated value, deduct 2 marks. For absence of impact 
     and reflector usefully arranged? Robust housing? Wiring and                 protection, fixing options or strain relief or for a cable length 
     components firmly fixed? Components correctly placed and sol-                5 m, deduct ½ mark each. 
     dered to PCB (Printed Circuit Board)? Cables correctly soldered 
     or crimped?                                                                 Deviation from battery capacity: Do the test results for battery 
     Lantern mechanics: Switch function given? Socket mechani-                   capacity agree with the rated capacity? 1 mark deducted for a 
     cally stable? Splash guard provided? Handle robust? Reflector               deviation of more than 10 %, 2 marks for a deviation of more than 
     and cover glass unbreakable or protected? Does lantern holder               20 %. 
     ensure reliable contact?
     Electrical components: For CFL illuminants, can the electrodes              Loss of battery capacity during continuous testing: This test 
     be pre-heated? With LED illuminants, is a high-quality brand-               applies only to NiMH batteries. Is the battery resistant to over-
     name LED used? In the case of power LEDs is an appropriate                  charging? How does capacity hold up under a continuous load? 
     heat sink fitted?                                                           Loss of over 5 % – deduct 1 mark, over 10 % 2 marks, over 15 % 
     Electronic components: Does the ballast allow constant lumi-                3 marks, over 20 % 4 marks (i.e. a mark of 5).
     nous flux irrespective of the battery charge state? Is a charge 
     controller provided to prevent overcharging or deep discharge?              Charge controller: Of concern here, besides the efficiency of the 
     Weather protection: Is weather protection / a splash guard evi-             controller, is particularly the protection of the battery against 
     dent? Is the cable weatherproof and long enough – or must the               discharge and overcharging (load rejection), the power con-
     lantern be charged outdoors?                                                sumption of the controller, and signalling. For efficiency, deduct 
     Visual examination of module: Is the module mechanically                    1 mark per step as follows: less than 90 %, less than 80 % and 
     robust and resistant to ageing (aluminium frame, glass cover)?              less than 65 %. If there is no charge controller at all, deduct 
     Module mechanics: Are the connection points protected from                  2 marks if there is a likelihood of damage to the battery. Lack 
     moisture? Is strain relief provided for the cable connector?                of load rejection – also deduct 2 marks. If it is not possible to 
     User manual: Is there one, and is it easy to understand?                    recharge fully discharged batteries, deduct 4 marks. 


     The  overall  mark  for  the  preliminary  test  is  obtained  from  the    Efficiency of ballast device: How good is the efficiency of the 
     average  of  the  individual  marks.  Serious  defects  may  lead  to  a    ballast? If less than 90 %, deduct 1 mark; less than 80 %, deduct 
     failure result and exclusion from the main test.                            a further mark. 




10
testing Criteria: Costs

Cycle test / degradation: How long do CFL lamps last when                Purchase price: Because of strong fluctuations of local customs 
subjected to a switching cycle of ‘on’ for 60 seconds, ‘off’ for         duties and taxes, and in order to assure the comparability of de-
150 seconds? For failure before 10,000 cycles – deduct 1 mark.           livery costs, the purchase price is given as the CIF-price in the 
For LED systems, is there a significant fall in light output from        port of discharge. At current annual lighting costs for a target 
the LEDs? If the luminous flux falls by 25 % after 1000 hours, de-       household of some USD 60 for kerosene and candles (the actual 
duct 1 mark; by 30 %, deduct 2 marks, by 35 %, deduct 3 marks.           annual figure varies sharply with income and use patterns), 
                                                                         the maximum purchase price for high-quality solar lanterns at 
Breakage test: Are the lanterns seriously damaged by the                 an early stage of the market should be of the order of half this 
impact of falling onto a hard floor from the edge of a 60 cm high        amount. 
table? For total failure, deduct 1 mark; otherwise pro rata. 
                                                                         Monthly running costs (battery durability): The purchase 
Luminous flux: Luminous flux in phi / lm is measured over a              price is divided over the service life, which is mainly determined 
period of 210 minutes and the average value determined. If this          by the life of the battery. It is assumed that the user does not 
value is less than 100 lm, the mark is 1.5; less than 80 lm, 2.0;        change the batteries. The life of the better solar systems tested 
less than 60 lm, 2.5 and less than 40 lm, 3.0.                           exceeds 2 years without change of battery. 


Luminous efficacy: Here again the average is obtained from               Operating costs per kilolumen-hour: Here the price is es-
a period of 210 minutes, beginning from a fully-charged bat-             tablished in relation to the light output of the lantern over its 
tery. Above 40 lm / W luminous efficacy: 1.5 marks; less than            lifetime. Since the light output of traditional light sources is 
40 lm / W, 2.0; less than 30 lm / W, 3.0 and less than 20 lm / W,        often very weak, the merits of solar lighting in terms of the 
4.0.                                                                     quality of the lighting are important. This value should there-
                                                                         fore be considered in addition to the purchase cost and monthly 
Solar fraction: The proportion that the solar system can meet            operating cost in order to correctly assess the value-for-money 
of daily need (here assumed at 3.5 hours’ lighting per day) was          of the products. 
determined for five simulated locations – Bolivia, Senegal, Indo-
nesia, Mozambique and Uganda. Less than 95 % cover – deduct              Note on cost calculation: Acceptance of this environmentally 
1 mark; less than 90 %, deduct 2 marks.                                  friendly system of lighting is heavily restricted by the low level 
                                                                         of liquidity of the target-group households in all developing 
Light duration: The duration is measured until luminous flux             countries. Although the operating costs of the solar lanterns, in 
falls to 70 % of the initial value. If the maximum light duration        a full cost calculation, are lower than those of most traditional 
is less than 7 h, mark as 1.5; if it is below 6 h, 2.0; if lower than    alternatives, because no more maintenance costs are incurred, 
5 h, 3.0 and if lower than 4 h, 4.0.                                     the purchaser still incurs roughly a year’s lighting costs in ad-
                                                                         vance. For the annual lighting costs, therefore, a price limit for 
                                                                         solar lanterns may be expected. Credit from dealers or through 
In the main test the overall mark is derived by averaging the indi-      microcredit institutions is still rare in this market sector.  
vidual marks and applying the percentage weighting specified. 




                                                                                                                                             11
Deutsche Gesellschaft für
technische Zusammenarbeit (GtZ) GmbH

Dag-Hammarskjöld - Weg 1 – 5
65760 Eschborn / Germany
t + 49 61 96 79 - 0
F + 49 61 96 79 - 11 15
E info@gtz.de
I www.gtz.de

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Gtz Solar Lanterns Test

  • 2. IMPRInt Published by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GtZ) GmbH Postfach 5180 6576 Eschborn Germany t +49 61 96 79-0 F +49 61 96 79-11 15 E info@gtz.de I www.gtz.de Authors: Roman Grüner, Stephan Lux, Kilian Reiche, thomas Schmitz-Günther Photos: Jürgen Gocke; Frauenhofer ISE Design: die Basis | Kommunikation. Ideenwerk. Design. Print:  Druckerei Klaus Koch, Wiesbaden Eschborn, May 009
  • 3. In their outward appearance the solar lanterns tested mostly resemble the kerosene lamps they are intended to replace. Photo: Gocke SoLaR LantERnS tESt: SHaDES oF LIGHt Torches and lanterns that obtain their energy from sunlight could replace environmentally damaging kero- sene lamps in many developing countries and supply high quality light to a large proportion of poor house- holds. For this, however, the products must be well-made and priced within the reach of the poorest people.  A laboratory test shows that there are still too few solar-powered lanterns that meet both criteria. Today, more than 1.5 billion people in Africa, Asia and Kerosene: a Local and Global Latin America live without the benefits of electricity. When Environmental Hazard the sun goes down, however, their day is far from over: when the daily work in the fields is done, family and social According to a report published in the American scientific life take over, goods are sold at night markets, and kiosks journal Science in 2005, 77 billion litres of fuel are burned and community centres become meeting points for village in kerosene lamps every year. That amounts to 1.3 million locals. Not until late at night do housewives find the op- barrels of oil per day. The oil consumption of these tradi- portunity to sew or do housework, and many students only tional lamps represents about one third of worldwide pri- get down to work after nightfall. mary energy demand for domestic lighting and is responsi- Lighting for these colourful scenes comes in many forms. ble for emissions of 190 million tonnes of CO2 greenhouse The wealthy are able to afford diesel generators, while the gas per year. Moreover, cheap kerosene lamps give off other poorest must make do with candlelight and the glow from emissions that are harmful to health, and pose a significant the fire. But the most common source of artificial light fire risk. in countries such as Kenya, Peru and Afghanistan is the kerosene lamp – ranging from simple low-cost wick lamps an alternative: Solar-powered Lanterns to the high-quality pressure lamps with gas mantles that are popular among campers in Europe. The luminous effi- In an effort to curb this wasteful use of resources, devel- cacy of many traditional methods of lighting is very low opment organisations have been propagating alternative and also poor value-for-money: lamp oil and candles cost lighting technologies for two decades, among them so- a typical household in developing countries some 40 to 80 lar-powered solutions. In these devices, solar cells convert US dollars per year (actual expenses vary greatly depending sunlight into electricity during the day that charges a bat- on international fuel prices, national taxes and household tery, which then produces light for use after dark. The most behaviour). common lighting source used in such solar systems is the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), though recently more efficient light emitting diodes (LEDs) have become more widespread.
  • 4. Shoddy workmanship, which compromises the durability of a system, can usually be recognised at sight. Photo: ISE Progress in solar technology has recently led to a growing Following exhaustive research on solar lanterns currently use of solar-powered lighting solutions in developing coun- on the market, twelve promising models were selected for tries. Particularly in rural areas with a dispersed population, technical examination and tested by the Fraunhofer Insti- where connection to the electricity grid would be uneco- tute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, Germany. nomic, solar lighting systems are a promising alternative. This examination is the preliminary stage of a field test that Solar lighting systems may broadly be divided into three GTZ plans for 2009. Experience in development coopera- classifications: simple models, similar to ordinary torches, tion shows that one thing must be avoided at the outset: are already available in many countries for a retail price of that users of cheap and inadequate devices should become about ten US dollars. These are sometimes sold with a crank so disillusioned that the entire technology is discredited. dynamo in place of the solar cells. Luminous efficacy and durability are usually poor. Such low-cost lanterns often last for only a month, or give light for only a few minutes. At the other end of the price scale are ‘solar home systems’ with a solar module of 20 to 100 watts and an optimised car battery, capable of powering several lights, a radio and a TV set simultaneously. Although some three million such solar home systems have already been installed worldwide, for most users they remain unaffordable: in Africa and Latin America they cost between 500 and 1000 US dollars. Only in Asia are they somewhat less expensive. For its testing of PV lighting technology, therefore, GTZ (German technical cooperation) has concentrated on a third product category, which is rapidly gaining impor- tance: solar lanterns or ‘pico-PV systems’ whose retail prices currently fall between the two extremes above. In their out- Table 1: Cost comparison ward appearance they resemble kerosene lamps – but they promise greater lighting convenience and minimal running Lighting system typical cost (USD / klmh) costs. In most models available so far, a small solar module – typically with a capacity of 3 to 10 watts – is separate Candle .00 from the lantern, so that it can be placed outdoors without Kerosene lamp 0.10 – 1.00 the lantern being exposed to the weather. The best of these lanterns can be hung indoors or placed on a table, but are also Solar lanterns 0.10 – 4.00 portable enough to light the way when walking at night. Solar home system 0.04 Another way in which these ‘pico-PV systems’ stand out from simple solar torches is the auxiliary uses available Mains electricity 0.01 on many newer models. These offer outputs for a radio, a mobile phone charger or other functions, thus making Estimated unit costs of lighting from different a minimal basic provision of electrically powered micro- sources, measured in kilolumen-hours. Kerosene devices conceivable for all poor rural populations in the prices fluctuate widely. Lighting costs of better near future. solar lanterns are currently roughly at par with kerosene lamps. Several solar lantern manufactur- ers have announced significant price reductions for 009. 4
  • 5. 90.00 80.00 70.00 60.00 Phi / lm 50.00 40.00 0.00 the luminous flux of the astral aS01 0.00 (dark blue curve) falls sharply relative to 10.00 other tested solar LED lanterns after only 0.00 100 operating hours. 0 500 1000 1500 000 500 000 500 4000 Source: ISE t/h aSo1 SoLaR 007 Mightylight SoLUX 100 Graph 1: Degradation of the light output of poor low-power LEDs the Preliminary test In an initial testing phase ISE examined all twelve systems Nor did the two lanterns from the Chinese manufacturer for quality of workmanship. Five of the worst examples Astral Solar pass the preliminary test. The CFL-based A­stral were eliminated and not passed to the next stage of test- A­S018 failed on the basis of sloppy physical construction ing. Simple methods – that can be performed with ease with wiring that broke off, defective switches, faulty elec- in developing countries – were used to test the function- tronics and a lack of weather protection. The A­stral A­S021 ing of the devices. Mechanical and electrical parts, such displayed similar shortcomings in workmanship such as as soldered joints and plug connectors, were examined for poorly soldered joints. The cable between lantern and solar durability; and the layout of the electronic components, module is so short that the lantern must be placed out- the weather protection and the exterior quality of the solar doors along with the module. Moreover the LEDs used are module were evaluated. unfavourably wired, resulting in a very low efficiency. The One of the few models in which the solar module is built decisive factor in failing this system, however, was the lack into the lantern, the Chinese Global Marketing Technologies of deepdischarge protection. As a result, the battery will be SL9000SW, failed because the fold-out mechanism for the damaged in a very short time. module is not robust, the module itself is poorly made and not resistant to rain. In addition, the main switch did not function correctly. The Macro-Solar MS-L01, from China, was also rejected because of its very low light output. The unit’s 14 LEDs give very inconstant light, after only 30 minutes luminous efficacy fell to around 20 %. The most poorly constructed solar lantern in the test was the Wuara 2212 SL from a South African company, whose price, however, at about ten dollars, is also extremely low. But its performance does not even live up to this low price. With its poor LED output, the system most closely resem- bles a cheap garden lantern: after two hours, light output falls to practically zero. Here again the solar module is built into the lantern and not weather-protected. A loose con- tact in the switch and a foot that comes off only add to the poor impression. 5
  • 6. Solar Lanterns Test (pico-PV systems) Product photo Product name Sun x-set mobile Aishwarya NEST-6543 Solar 2007-1 Solux LED 100 Mightylight 3040 Solux 50 Glowstar GS7 AS018 AS021 MS01 SL9000SW Wuara 2212SL Noble Energy Solar Solarprojekt Cosmos Ignite Astral Solar Astral Solar Macro-Solar Global Marketing SolEnergy Africa Manufacturer Würth Solergy Technologies Ltd. Freilassing e.V. Solux e.V. Innovations Solux e.V. Sollatek Ltd Technology Co. Technology Co. Technology Co. Ltd Technologies Inc. PTY Ltd (Germany) (India) (Germany) (Germany) (India) (Germany) (UK) (China) (China) (China) (China) (South Africa) www.solarprojekt- Internet address www.we-online.de www.solarnest.net www.solux.org www.cosmosignite.com www.solux.org www.sollatek.com www.astsolar.com www.astsolar.com www.macro-solar.com www.gmtems.com www.solenergycc.com freilassing.de Weight in kg (lamp) 0.7 1.2 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.5 3.2 n. s. 0.9 0.8 2.1 0.5 Light source CFL CFL LED LED LED LED CFL CFL LED LED CFL LED Battery NiMH / Lead Lead NiMH NiMH NiMH NiMH Lead Lead Lead NiMH Lead n. s. Module external external external external external external external external external external integral integral 12 V socket, battery Radio can be 3 brightness 6 V socket, mobile steplessly Radio, Additional utility no 2) 2 brightness levels no 12 V socket no no charger unit connected levels 3) phone charger dimmable flashing light Preliminary test Function 2 3 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 5 3 5 Visual examination: lantern 4 3 1 1 1 3 1 4 4 2 4 5 Lantern mechanics 2 3 1 1 1 4 3 5 5 2 4 5 Electrical components 2 2 1 1 1 2 2 4 4 4 4 5 Electronic components 4 2 3 4 3 4 2 4 4 4 4 2 Weather protection 4 4 2 1 2 4 4 n. s. 2 4 5 5 Visual examination: module n. s. 2 2 2 2 3 3 2 3 3 6 5 Module mechanics n. s. 2 2 3 2 4 4 2 4 2 5 5 User manual 2 2 2 2 3 2 1 5 5 5 4 3 Preliminary evaluation satisfactory satisfactory good good good satisfactory satisfactory poor poor poor poor very poor Main test Deviation of solar module from specifications 1 1.5 3.5 4 1.5 2 4 Battery capacity deviation (5 %) 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 Battery capacity loss in continuous test (5 %) 1 - 2 1 5 1 - Efficiency of charge controller (15 %) 1 1 2 1 4.5 1 3 Efficiency of ballast unit (5 %) 2 4 1 1 3 1 3 Products that achieve the same score are arranged alphabetically by product name. Cycle test / degradation ok ok ok ok ok ok -1 Overview of marks: 1.0-1.4: very good; 1.5-2.4: good; 2.5-3.4: satisfactory; 3.5-4.4: poor; 4.5-5.0 very poor; n. s. = not specified Breakage test ok -0.5 ok ok ok ok ok Luminous flux (10 %) 1 1 4 2.5 2.5 2 1 Notes: Luminous efficacy (5 %) 2 2 4 2 2 1.5 3 1) Mark reduced by one point because of lack of weather resistance. 2) Alongside the model tested, this manufacturer also produces a similar model that includes a radio that Solar fraction (20 %) 1 3 1 1 1 1 4 costs approx. USD 8 more. Burn time / light duration (20 %) 1 2 1.5 1 4 3 3 3) Alongside the model tested, the manufacturer produces a similar model that includes a mobile phone Main test evaluation very good good good good satisfactory satisfactory 1) poor charger that costs approx. USD 10 more. 4) In Costs early 2009, the manufacturer offered a one-lantern version of this system for about USD 350 CIF price to GTZ. Purchase price CIF, USD (2008) 500 4) 52 5) 122 117 55 6) 36 210 7) 5) The manufacturer announced price reductions in 2009. Running cost per month, USD 30 1 4 2 3 2 12 6) In early 2009, the manufacturer announced improved battery charging and price reductions of about Running cost per kilolumen-hour, USD 2.6 0.1 1.0 0.4 0.6 0.2 0.7 one third. 7) According to the manufacturer, the Glowstar price has fallen in 2009. Price-to-performance winner:
  • 7. the difference in light quality is obvious: here is the brightest lantern and the weakest. Photo: Gocke the Shortlist Thus seven solar lanterns reached the second testing stage, and discharge protection, and the ballast for efficiency. of which four are German-made: the Solux LED 100 and An additional cycle test was carried out on the CFLs for Solux LED 50 of the Solux e.V. development assistance switching endurance. The central issue of the laboratory project, the Solar 2007-1 by the Freilassing solar promo- examination was, however, the testing of the light perform- tion project, and the sun x-set mobile produced by Würth. ance criteria – measuring the luminous flux and luminous Of these, the products of the two non-profit projects make efficacy, and calculating the solar fraction of the lanterns. an impression with their individual and functional design, Finally, the maximum light duration on a full battery was while the system design from the manufacturer Würth measured. drops out of the picture since it offers two lanterns and Operating costs of the products were established in addi- a separate charging station allowing for a variety of addi- tion to the technical testing, in terms of both the lifetime tional functions such as operation of a radio. This product of the batteries contained in the system and the actual light therefore comes closer to a solar home system – a fact that output. While the calculation of monthly running costs is reflected in the price. Alongside these, the shortlisted based on lifetime should be structured in terms of a typi- systems included the Glowstar GS7 of the British com- cal customer’s use (to allow a direct comparison with the pany Sollatek, the A­ishwarya NEST-6543 of the Indian costs of kerosene or candles), the calculation of measured manufacturer Noble Energy and the Mightylight 3040, also light output is more complex – yet is the one on which the Indian made. The latter model was one of the first mass- value-for-money of the systems can most fairly be based. produced products in this market sector and may have the To get a yardstick for the price-to-performance ratio, the widest distribution of all the products tested. The ISE test running costs obtained in the test must be placed in rela- engineers still noted a number of shortcomings even in the tion to other forms of lighting (see Table 1). However, the preferred models. They criticised the Glowstar for wrongly running costs can only be considered an approximate basis designed circuitry; the A­ishwarya was not considered suffi- for calculation. This is primarily because the durability of ciently robust, the Solux LED 100 and Solar 2007-1 lacked the battery can only be estimated very crudely. current control for the LEDs, as did the Mightylight, which also did not have any form of charge control. The examin- ers found shoddy workmanship in the Solux LED 50 and test Results criticised the significant divergence in quality in the sun x-set mobile between the Chinese-made lighting systems The winner of the technical test was, without doubt, the and the well-constructed base charging station. sun x-set mobile. Even if the two lanterns do not show the best workmanship, the system functions with the largest and most powerful module by far and with an outstand- Major Differences in the Main test ingly good and versatile charging station. The extremely high purchase price and consequently huge operating costs, The seven selected systems were subjected to an indepth however, force this system unequivocally out of the range laboratory examination. The actual output of the solar discussed here. These are almost ten times the comparison module was compared with that specified by the manu- costs of kerosene lamps, thus making any argument that facturer. The capacity of the batteries was examined, with the target group should adopt this new lighting system NiMH rechargeable batteries further subjected to a dura- untenable. Certainly, the high-quality charging unit of- bility test. The charge controller was checked for efficiency fers a whole range of additional functions. But in this price 8
  • 8. outlook bracket the potential customer will probably opt for a solar The quality of solar lanterns on the market is mixed, and home system or a diesel generator. Of the systems rated prices are still too high for them to sell in great numbers in ‘good’ in technical terms, the Indian A­ishwarya stands out view of the low saving rates of poor households. However, because of its especially favourable price. It failed to at- we expect prices to drop below 50 % of 2008 values over tract a better technical evaluation only because of its faulty the next few years, which will make solar lanterns clearly ballast and minor issues in workmanship. The A­ishwarya more economic than kerosene lamps. As they offer higher is therefore the clear winner in the price-to-performance quality lighting, better handling, environmental advantages comparison. and sometimes radio or mobile phone charging, massive In the ‘good’ technical category, two other products are market growth can be expected in the near future – despite ranked behind this model, both from German develop- the limiting influence of higher upfront payments for solar ment initiatives. The systems did not achieve a better rank- lanterns (which can only partly be addressed through cred- ing because of their unsatisfactory solar modules. While the its). In light of the mixed test results, informing potential Solux LED 100 otherwise deserved a ‘very good’ rating in consumers about lantern quality will be of great importance technical terms, the weak light output of the Solar 2007-1 for a healthy market development. counted against it. Taking into account their substantially higher price, both systems fall by one grade. Their purchase price is higher than the annual lighting costs of the typical target household, and the running costs are also substan- tially higher than those of most other systems examined. Thus in terms of value-for-money the two German solar Price-to-performance winner: lanterns fall behind the systems technically assessed as ‘sat- aishwarya nESt-654 isfactory’. In this category the second Indian system, the Photo: Gocke original Mightylight, shows up well. Here a better technical assessment is prevented mainly by the poor battery durabil- ity and the lack of a ballast. The manufacturer has, how- ever, prompted by this test result, already brought an im- proved version to market. The German Solux LED 50 just succeeded in gaining a positive rating for its price perform- ance. The chief fault on this especially bright and handy lantern is its lack of weather resistance. The Glowstar failed both the technical test and in terms of value-for-money. This unusually heavy and cumbersome lantern was a pioneer of the market sector, but exhibits de- fects in workmanship and offers only a poor solar fraction and modest light duration. 9
  • 9. table criteria: testing Criteria: Preliminary test testing Criteria: Main test The distribution of marks in the preliminary test is based on the  The system for marking in the main test begins with a base value  following examiner’s checklist:  of 1 for each category, from which points are deducted for indi- vidual faults or shortcomings. These are assessed as follows:  Function: Does the lantern function? How is the distribution of  light? Does the lantern cause glare? Is the switch mechanically  Deviation of solar module from nominal rating: Does the  robust? Can an illumination be created on a level surface that is  system deliver the nominal rated values of power output, open- sufficient to allow reading / writing?  circuit voltage and shortcircuit current? If these are less than  Visual examination of lanterns: Operating elements, displays  90 % of rated value, deduct 2 marks. For absence of impact  and reflector usefully arranged? Robust housing? Wiring and  protection, fixing options or strain relief or for a cable length  components firmly fixed? Components correctly placed and sol-  5 m, deduct ½ mark each.  dered to PCB (Printed Circuit Board)? Cables correctly soldered  or crimped? Deviation from battery capacity: Do the test results for battery  Lantern mechanics: Switch function given? Socket mechani- capacity agree with the rated capacity? 1 mark deducted for a  cally stable? Splash guard provided? Handle robust? Reflector  deviation of more than 10 %, 2 marks for a deviation of more than  and cover glass unbreakable or protected? Does lantern holder  20 %.  ensure reliable contact? Electrical components: For CFL illuminants, can the electrodes  Loss of battery capacity during continuous testing: This test  be pre-heated? With LED illuminants, is a high-quality brand- applies only to NiMH batteries. Is the battery resistant to over- name LED used? In the case of power LEDs is an appropriate  charging? How does capacity hold up under a continuous load?  heat sink fitted?  Loss of over 5 % – deduct 1 mark, over 10 % 2 marks, over 15 %  Electronic components: Does the ballast allow constant lumi- 3 marks, over 20 % 4 marks (i.e. a mark of 5). nous flux irrespective of the battery charge state? Is a charge  controller provided to prevent overcharging or deep discharge? Charge controller: Of concern here, besides the efficiency of the  Weather protection: Is weather protection / a splash guard evi- controller, is particularly the protection of the battery against  dent? Is the cable weatherproof and long enough – or must the  discharge and overcharging (load rejection), the power con- lantern be charged outdoors? sumption of the controller, and signalling. For efficiency, deduct  Visual examination of module: Is the module mechanically  1 mark per step as follows: less than 90 %, less than 80 % and  robust and resistant to ageing (aluminium frame, glass cover)?  less than 65 %. If there is no charge controller at all, deduct  Module mechanics: Are the connection points protected from  2 marks if there is a likelihood of damage to the battery. Lack  moisture? Is strain relief provided for the cable connector? of load rejection – also deduct 2 marks. If it is not possible to  User manual: Is there one, and is it easy to understand?  recharge fully discharged batteries, deduct 4 marks.  The  overall  mark  for  the  preliminary  test  is  obtained  from  the  Efficiency of ballast device: How good is the efficiency of the  average  of  the  individual  marks.  Serious  defects  may  lead  to  a  ballast? If less than 90 %, deduct 1 mark; less than 80 %, deduct  failure result and exclusion from the main test.  a further mark.  10
  • 10. testing Criteria: Costs Cycle test / degradation: How long do CFL lamps last when  Purchase price: Because of strong fluctuations of local customs  subjected to a switching cycle of ‘on’ for 60 seconds, ‘off’ for  duties and taxes, and in order to assure the comparability of de- 150 seconds? For failure before 10,000 cycles – deduct 1 mark.  livery costs, the purchase price is given as the CIF-price in the  For LED systems, is there a significant fall in light output from  port of discharge. At current annual lighting costs for a target  the LEDs? If the luminous flux falls by 25 % after 1000 hours, de- household of some USD 60 for kerosene and candles (the actual  duct 1 mark; by 30 %, deduct 2 marks, by 35 %, deduct 3 marks.  annual figure varies sharply with income and use patterns),  the maximum purchase price for high-quality solar lanterns at  Breakage test: Are the lanterns seriously damaged by the  an early stage of the market should be of the order of half this  impact of falling onto a hard floor from the edge of a 60 cm high  amount.  table? For total failure, deduct 1 mark; otherwise pro rata.  Monthly running costs (battery durability): The purchase  Luminous flux: Luminous flux in phi / lm is measured over a  price is divided over the service life, which is mainly determined  period of 210 minutes and the average value determined. If this  by the life of the battery. It is assumed that the user does not  value is less than 100 lm, the mark is 1.5; less than 80 lm, 2.0;  change the batteries. The life of the better solar systems tested  less than 60 lm, 2.5 and less than 40 lm, 3.0.  exceeds 2 years without change of battery.  Luminous efficacy: Here again the average is obtained from  Operating costs per kilolumen-hour: Here the price is es- a period of 210 minutes, beginning from a fully-charged bat- tablished in relation to the light output of the lantern over its  tery. Above 40 lm / W luminous efficacy: 1.5 marks; less than  lifetime. Since the light output of traditional light sources is  40 lm / W, 2.0; less than 30 lm / W, 3.0 and less than 20 lm / W,  often very weak, the merits of solar lighting in terms of the  4.0. quality of the lighting are important. This value should there- fore be considered in addition to the purchase cost and monthly  Solar fraction: The proportion that the solar system can meet  operating cost in order to correctly assess the value-for-money  of daily need (here assumed at 3.5 hours’ lighting per day) was  of the products.  determined for five simulated locations – Bolivia, Senegal, Indo- nesia, Mozambique and Uganda. Less than 95 % cover – deduct  Note on cost calculation: Acceptance of this environmentally  1 mark; less than 90 %, deduct 2 marks.  friendly system of lighting is heavily restricted by the low level  of liquidity of the target-group households in all developing  Light duration: The duration is measured until luminous flux  countries. Although the operating costs of the solar lanterns, in  falls to 70 % of the initial value. If the maximum light duration  a full cost calculation, are lower than those of most traditional  is less than 7 h, mark as 1.5; if it is below 6 h, 2.0; if lower than  alternatives, because no more maintenance costs are incurred,  5 h, 3.0 and if lower than 4 h, 4.0. the purchaser still incurs roughly a year’s lighting costs in ad- vance. For the annual lighting costs, therefore, a price limit for  solar lanterns may be expected. Credit from dealers or through  In the main test the overall mark is derived by averaging the indi- microcredit institutions is still rare in this market sector.   vidual marks and applying the percentage weighting specified.  11
  • 11. Deutsche Gesellschaft für technische Zusammenarbeit (GtZ) GmbH Dag-Hammarskjöld - Weg 1 – 5 65760 Eschborn / Germany t + 49 61 96 79 - 0 F + 49 61 96 79 - 11 15 E info@gtz.de I www.gtz.de