Low-cost lamps brighten the future of rural India

KHADAKWADI, INDIA - Until just three months ago, life in this humble village without electricity would come to a grinding halt after sunset. . .That all changed with the installation of low-cost, energy-efficient lamps that are powered entirely by the sun.

[edit]

The innovative lights were installed by the Grameen Surya Bijli Foundation (GSBF). . .The lamps use LEDs - light emitting diodes - that are four times more efficient than an incandescent bulb. After a $55 installation cost, solar energy lights the lamp free of charge.

Properly configured a LED lamp has an approximately 100,000 hour life (it's a semiconductor), and runs on low-voltages (1.8 - 3.6 VDC).  

Coming soon to your house.

Out of Reach is a side-by-side comparison of wages and rents in every county, Metropolitan Area (MSAs/HMFAs), combined nonmetropolitan area and state in the United States.

We really don't need to hear "working" and "poor" in the same sentence ever again.  Long past time for a Living Wage.  Rep. Barbara Lee's H.R. 1050 is a good start.