Panasonic develops solar lantern for people living without electricity

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Panasonic Corp said Monday that it has developed a solar lantern that doubles as a charger for people living without electricity.

With a built-in rechargeable battery to store solar energy during the day, the lantern provides light at night and can also be used as a power source to charge small mobile devices like mobile phones. The company said it plans to bring the lanternnto the market in autumn this year after conducting marketing research in off-grid areas in Asia and Africa.

A prototype of the new solar lantern will be displayed at official side events at the 5th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD V) to be held from June 1 to 3 in Yokohama.

About 1.32 billion people, or approximately 20% of the world’s population, are still living without electricity. Many of these people use kerosene lamps for lighting. However, kerosene lamps not only fail to provide sufficient light but also emit toxic fumes and pose a fire risk. In addition, people living off-grid are facing a problem of charging their mobile phones, which have become a popular communication tool for them.

To meet those challenges, Panasonic said its solar lantern provides clean and safe lighting and a power source. The company said it will further refine the solar lantern to make it practical and convenient for everyday use by taking into account such specifications as brightness, charging time and battery run time in addition to the charging function for mobile phones and other small devices.