Centralized solar lantern charging station under ‘lighting a billion lives’ campaign: a technological evolution

Abstract

To mitigate the use of kerosene for rural lighting and to promote utilization of solar energy, solar lanterns prove to be a viable and promising option. For addressing the issue of large-scale dissemination of solar lanterns, a rental model is implemented though ‘Lighting a Billion Lives (LaBL)’ campaign. This paper deals with the technological development and customization of the Centralized Solar Lantern Charging Station (CSLCS) under this campaign. A single unit in a typical LaBL charging station consists of a Solar Photovoltaic (SPV) module feeding a junction box (JB) containing multiple ports for charging of a certain number of lanterns simultaneously. The first version was developed with an available Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) lantern model. The design calculation of the various components considering the various climatic conditions in India and other required parameters are presented. Further, the optimization of the modular design of the charging station based on the above analysis is given. Subsequently, the second version was developed with features addressing the challenges faced in the first version. The field demands and feasibility of incorporating modifications addressing them are reported in detail. Further, a more advanced and customized third version lanterns with additional features was developed. The versions also involved considerable modifications of the JB and lantern circuitry. Comparative analysis of the obtained efficiencies of all the three configurations is presented. The concluding section proposes methods that lead to the way forward in establishing a more rugged and customized system addressing the issues of seasonal and technological constrains more efficiently. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.