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I resent the creators of this product for misrepresenting how it works. Are they marketing to the gullible? No, the water and salt do not power it - if that we
by Elrac 12y ago
I resent the creators of this product for misrepresenting how it works. Are they marketing to the gullible?
No, the water and salt do not power it - if that were the case you could revive the lamp's battery by pouring in fresh salty water. Instead, the power comes from the galvanic potential of a chunk of metal vs. (I'm guessing) a carbon electrode. When the metal electrode wears out, that's what you need to replace.
- wnkrshm 12y agoI think the product may not be without merit (edit: entirely), even though the marketing reminds me of free-energy pseudoscience. Within a region with many islands, where technology is expensive because it has to be transported by sea (with weight and space limitations increasing the cost), it may be much more cost effective if you have batteries without needing to ship an electrolyte. You can just cram more replacement anodes in a cargo hold than fully-fledged throw-away batteries. On the other hand - solar panels might be a better investment.
- pge 12y agoI agree, and I think the focus here on the battery is misplaced. What is enabling this to work is the availability of low cost LEDs, which require very little current to operate. These open the door of all kinds of lighting with low power sources, like galvanic batteries, or as you suggest solar panels (though I am guessing the cost for solar is higher). Whether this is the optimal power source is TBD, but the core idea that lighting can be brought to developing countries at very low cost by looking at non-traditional power sources is an important one.