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 ITC completed the rapid prototyping of the lanterns in November 1999.
These lanterns were delivered to ITDG East Africa and Energy Alternative Africa in
December 1999. The prototype lantern market testing was carried out using two approaches.
Direct marketing of the product to customers in the rural areas was completed by ITDG EA
via a farmers community group operating in Rift Valley Province, Kenya. Twelve lanterns
were delivered through Energy Alternatives Africa (EAA) to shops in Eastern Province,
Kenya to assess the other approach to marketing the lanterns.
The lanterns were supplied with a solar module, radio, and a dc-dc
converter for using the radio from the module. Extras available were an extension lamp, AC
mains charger and DC vehicle charger. As a power source, all lanterns used 10 Wp Millenia
PV modules manufactured by BP Solarex.
The collection of data had two main sources of information. A
questionnaire to be completed by all lantern owners, which would assess the issues that
the testing was aimed to capture along with other points that the owners themselves wished
to discuss
Focus groups were then used to discuss issues surrounding the lantern.
Lantern owners, along with solar technicians, solar shopkeepers and other interested
parties attended the focus groups. The aim of these was to discuss issues surrounding the
lantern and its applicability to the local market, and to build consensus of opinion on
questions and topics raised.
One participant in Nakuru had kept a daily log of how long the lantern
lasted. In over 35 cycles it had lasted over 4 hours in all but 2 instances and would
often give up to 4.5 hours of light.
Most of the users agree that the monthly expenditure on the use of
kerosene has reduced dramatically. 53 % of people saw a decrease in the amount they spent
on lighting once they had the lantern.
Qualities of the Lantern
Users were honest about their feelings towards the lantern and said that they liked it
because it was:
- Portable
- Good quality
- Clean, no soot
- Good quality light
- Savings on kerosene and gas
- Convenient
They wanted the lantern to last longer, to have a bigger battery and to
use the solar module to charge other appliances. These suggestions are being considered by
the design team, but the need is to produce an item that can be purchased by the poorer
members of society.
The demand raised by the awareness created by those using the lantern
has far exceeded the expectations of all those involved in the project. Both dealers have
commented that they would like to have more lanterns to sell, as they know of several
people willing to buy straight away. The community group had over 50 people offering to be
part of the household testing and now has many individuals and groups wanting to know when
the lanterns will be for general sale in Nakuru. This shows a very high level of potential
sales in the areas where the lantern is known, although the lantern has already had
national press coverage which inundated the Nairobi office of ITDG EA with calls.
User Comments
One man stated that he had "fallen in love with the lantern
already, and don’t want to lose it"
One woman suggested that the lantern enables her family to stay up
later. "The lantern can be recharged every day, but with the kerosene lamp, every
hour burns more kerosene so I turn it off and go to bed early to save money."
One older couple said they both used to like reading, but as they got
older, they could only manage to read one or two pages of their books their kerosene
lights before their eyes began to hurt. Since they have had the lantern they said,
"We can read for much longer without straining our eyes but I get to see less of my
wife at night as she is reading so much".
Many households use the lantern when the children are doing their
schoolwork. Some comments stated that "the lantern was good because it can let
more than one person read or work in a room which is advantage when several children are
trying to study."
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