Safety Note
Before starting, review the safety instructions with your adult supervisor. Ensure you have the necessary safety equipment and proper guidance during the activity, especially when using the soldering iron.
If you decide to use chlorine for the Moser Lamp, exercise extreme caution as it is toxic. Ensure it is handled safely, and the water mixed with chlorine is not consumed.
Activity Guide:
Option 1: Assemble the Solar Lantern
- Follow the instructions in your solar lantern kit to assemble the components. Connect each part using the soldering iron and soldering tin.
- Once the solar lantern ‘core’ (board with electronic components) is complete, you can add your creative touch by constructing a nice case for it to enhance its appearance and turn it into a real flashlight/torch.
Option 2: Moser Lamp Alternative
- If you don't have access to a solar lantern kit, you can learn about the Moser Lamp model (known from the international project ‘A Liter of Light’), which can be a valuable resource for communities without electricity. The good news: It does work without electricity! The disadvantage: It stops working at night. LINK: https://believe.earth/en/turn-a-plastic-bottle-into-a-lamp
Evaluation
Test your solar lantern by switching it on. Witness the power of the sun lighting up your creation!
Theory
Discover the incredible potential of solar energy. The amount of solar energy reaching the Earth's surface is vast, far surpassing the combined energy from all non-renewable resources like coal, oil, and natural gas. Solar energy is a sustainable and powerful alternative for our energy needs.
A solar flashlight/torch is probably the tiniest example of a complete solar system. It contains the same elements as its bigger ‘brothers’, the solar home systems: a solar panel (production of electricity), a rechargeable battery (storage of energy), a device using the energy (the LED lamp) and some electric/electronic control (a solar house has a unit called ‘charge controller’, in the case of the lamp this is limited to a diode).
Additional Activities - Moser Lamp:
For those looking at the Moser Lamp alternative, please follow the instruction video (in Spanish)s to construct a simple yet effective solar lamp using a PET bottle, water, cardboard box, and sunlight refraction. The Moser lamp brings daylight into a house or shed if installed into its roof. In our model, the cardboard box symbolizes the house. Don’t forget to cut a ‘window’ into your box, to see what’s happening inside!
You do not need to add chlorine to the water (as suggested in the manuals) unless you install the bottle permanently in a roof. Just replace the water in case there are algae growing.
