Panasonic to release eneloop solar storage with LED lighting

ntttttttttttt

Panasonic Corp on Tuesday announced that it has developed eneloop solar storage, a small-scale power storage system that provides LED lighting for areas without mainsnelectricity. The product will be shipped to regions in Asia and Africa from November.

The product is a compact power harvesting, storage, and lighting system. Electric powerngenerated by solar cells during the day is stored in a nickel-metal hydride battery unit. This can then be used as a selectable night light and power source for charging small items of equipment, such as cell phones.

At present, 1.3 billion people worldwide1 live in areas with no or intermittent mainsnelectricity. This means that approximately 20% of the world’s population (one person innfive) lives without enjoying the advantages of electricity. In most non-electrified areas, people use kerosene lamps, rechargeable lanterns, diesel generators, etc, to provide lighting. However, these forms of lighting equipment have numerous drawbacks, including toxic exhaust, low levels of illumination, and high running costs. Cell phone networks are, however, widespread in these areas, despite the lack of an equipment-recharging infrastructure.

Panasonic said it is committed to the reliable supply of clean and safe light and power. This commitment led to the production of its “Solar Lantern” in 2013 — a portable lantern that provides non-electrified areas with the light that people need. Now the company has added eneloop solar storage to its lineup of products. The product comes with a straight tube LED and a bulb-type LED, which deliver bright, high-quality light, and the unit can also be used as a high-capacity power source for charging multiple cell phones.

The eneloop solar storage will be marketed not only through existing sales dealers but also via international organizations such as NPOs and NGOs that are helping people living in non-electrified areas to develop a better standard of living environment.