NEW YORK, NY — Have you ever imagined what it would be like to come home to a dark home? Or how difficult it would be to study or work without light? Too often this is the reality for people living in extreme poverty, but innovations like the Luci Light are changing this.
Designed by MPowerD, Luci Lights are affordable, solar-powered, inflatable and water-proof lamps that produce zero-emissions.
Headquartered in New York City, MPowerD is a fast growing consumer products company that develops and manufactures brilliant, transformative clean energy products and solutions to light up the lives of those living and playing off-the-grid the world over.
From recreational campers, to those in the aftermath of a natural disaster, to the Samburu tribe in a remote part of Africa north of the equator, the makers of the Luci provide a simple alternative to darkness.
The International Energy Agency estimates that 1.3 billion people lack access to electricity, and an additional 1.5 billion have irregular access.
CEO and co-founder of MPowerD Jacques-Philippe Piverger believes his little light will help change the world.
Piverger said generally people who live off the grid use kerosene or wood for light, which not only impacts the environment but also compromises health and safety. He also estimates people typically spend on average about $13 a month on fuel for their kerosene lamps.
“We can provide a product that will save individuals a hundred dollars the first year. And for people who make $2-$3 a day that's significant,” said Piverger.
The first but not the only
Luci is the first product developed by the team at MPowerD. The solar-powered lamp is made of primarily see-through plastic and weighs just four ounces. With ten tiny LED lights the company says it can shine about 15 square feet of light, and on a full 8-hour solar charge and the light will last between six and 12 hours. The time varies because there are two different brightness modes as well as a flashing mode.
MPowerD is not the first company to enter the marketplace. Competitors like Solar Sister and Waka Waka also aim to eradicate energy poverty with high-tech, low-cost solar powered lamps.
Piverger believes the experience of his team combined with his product's design gives him a competitive edge. “We understand what it means to design something that's elegant and useful across multiple platforms,” he said. “So whether it's in a developing world or a developed market, people find our product beautiful and useful,”
One major challenge was to figure out how MPowerD could access potential customers in the world’s most remote markets. Piverger said along with governments and NGOs, companies in the private sector who want to sell his product have helped penetrate Luci’s reach into remote corners of the earth.
“MPowerD is committed to transforming people’s lives and protecting the planet by making our brilliant products and solutions available and accessible the world over,” Piverger said. “That includes the nearly 3 billion people who live in energy poverty without access to clean, reliable sources of electricity.
Fully waterproof and shatterproof, with a built-in rechargeable battery, Luci is ready to provide light for anything, anytime and anywhere.