Solar Bottle Bulb

For most of us, living without electricity is unimaginable. But for an incredible percentage of the world’s population, electricity is not so much an unappreciated part of daily life but a luxury item to be rationed. One area where this is highly apparent is in the Manila slums of the Philippines, every square meter taken up by the ramshackle wooden and corrugated tin shelters that the locals call home.

MyShelter Foundation with students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology takes old plastic bottles, fills them with water and a capful of bleach – to prevent the build-up of algae – and embeds them in a piece of corrugated metal. This device is then inserted into a carefully-cut hole in the roof and sealed to prevent leaking during heavy rainfall. The bright Philippines sun is refracted through the water and penetrates the room below, illuminating it with the equivalent of a 50 watt bulb.

Plastic Bottle Bulb

(via: World Architecture News)

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