"Liter of Light"—One Man's Invention that is Illuminating Lives around the World

Aimee Herd : Aug 15, 2013
Liz Klimas – The Blaze, BBC

"It's a divine light. God gave the sun to everyone, and light is for everyone."

An inspired idea in the mind of a mechanic in Brazil led to a simple invention that is now bringing the light of a 60 watt bulb into dark homes and huts of the impoverished, who otherwise could not afford the luxury of electricity.

…and it's free, with a plastic water bottle and the sun.

It's been said "necessity is the mother of invention" and it's no less true in the case of Alfred Moser, who—spurred into action after blackouts in 2002 had darkened his Brazilian home—came up with an idea to harness the light of the sun using the refracting power of water, to lighten his rooms.

Filling a liter-sized clear plastic water bottle with water and a little bleach (to curb the growth of algae), Moser cut a hole in his roof big enough for the bottle. With a portion of the bottle sticking up through the roof, he sealed around the bottle, letting the biggest portion hang below into the room like a light fixture.

The bottle effectively refracts the light from the sun down into the room, illuminating it with the intensity of up to 60 watts.

Says Moser, "It's a divine light. God gave the sun to everyone, and light is for everyone."

He added, "Whoever wants it saves money. You can't get an electric shock from it, and it doesn't cost a penny."

Indeed, Moser's invention has quickly spread to countries where many cannot afford to pay for electric lights in their home.

According to a BBC report, the innovative idea is being used now in about 15 other countries, such as the Philippines, and Kenya. And some are reportedly even receiving training to make and install the bottle lights as a profession.

MyShelter Foundation Executive Director, Angelo Diaz—who has seen Moser's "Liter of Light" (as it's being called) catch on throughout Manila.

"Alfredo Moser has changed the lives of a tremendous number of people, I think forever," said Diaz, in The Blaze report. "Whether or not he gets the Nobel Prize, we want him to know that there are a great number of people who admire what he is doing."

Watch a YouTube video about the Liter of Light, Click Here.