A DUAL ENERGY SOURCE LAMP FOR OFF-GRID PERSONS WITH LOW INCOME

Abstract In the off-grid communities in Ghana, most people depend on solar energy for electricity [1]. Some also depend on torch lights, candle lights or kerosene lamps to meet their lighting needs [2]. These lamps come with their own pros and cons. The solar lamps for instance, do not last for the entire night when in full usage though they are the cleanest of all. And since they are solar dependent, they become useless when there is no sun shine [3]. Hence, on the event of these solar lamps going off in the night, they leave users being stranded; especially when they need light urgently, things get worsen. People have worked on improving the battery capacity ofsuch lamps for longer lasting [4]. However, the problem is that they would have to be charged for a longer time for longer discharging. This project therefore seeks to save solar lamps users from being stranded when their lamps go off in the night. It therefore focuses on providing an alternate means of recharging the lamp in that moment for usage. Hence this project modifies the already existing solar lamps by introducing a mechanical mechanism which enables users to mechanically recharge batteries for temporal use. The recharged lamp may light up for a little longer or a while depending on how much the user was able to charge the battery. But then the user can still go back and recharge it mechanically whenever he or she wants.