I was first introduced to the d.light solar lantern in 2010 thanks to Clinton Vaz, a young environmentalist from Goa. I wasn’t sure how bright this lantern would be, but because it was relatively inexpensive (for me), I was ready to try it out.

My scepticism soon gave way to a grudging respect for this humble light source. The lantern was bright, portable and didn’t require anything else other than a little sun to keep it going. It is marvellous and we continue to use it everyday.

d.light was founded in 2007 by Sam Goldman and Ned Tozun, Stanford Design School students turned social entrepreneurs. They have won several awards including the prestigious Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2010.

Earlier this month, d.light launched the S1, the world’s cheapest solar lantern at $8 (approximately Rs. 360). This innovative product provides four hours of bright light from one full day of charging, has an adjustable handle – which can be tilted towards the sun – and is weatherproof. If there’s no sunlight around, you can also charge the S1 with a standard Nokia phone charger.

One can think of all sorts of uses for a cheap light source like this. As an alternative to kerosene lamps, the d.light lanterns provide brighter, cleaner illumination at almost no-cost to the environment. Other products include the d.light S250, a dual-purpose solar lantern and mobile charger.

The d.light “Kiran” lantern was nicknamed the “Kerosene Killer” and with good reason. Kerosene lanterns are notoriously stinky. They are fire hazards, the fumes can be noxious and they add to greenhouses gases. To make matters worse, the light they give off isn’t great either. The d.light lamps have the potential to affect the lives of millions of people in the developing world who still depend on kerosene and other oil-based lamps for light. This target audience spends an estimated $38bn a year on kerosene. Around 88 million families in India alone don’t have access to electricity – imagine what this could do for them.

I was amazed to learn that, in Sudan, pass rates have doubled from 57 per cent to almost 97 per cent after students used solar lights for a year, to study. In a pilot study in India, pass rates increased from 67 per cent to 87 per cent.

In Orissa, the impoverished villagers of Koraput district gave up kerosene and made the move to solar lighting within a week. This amazing feat was achieved by d.light in collaboration with Beyond Solar, an American NGO and the Southern Orissa Villagers Association (SOVA). The villagers tried out the lanterns for a couple of days, following which they purchased all available stock, much to the surprise and delight of the team promoting the products. According to the official Beyond Solar website, the average income of the families has seen a 50% increase from $12 to $18 a day as families can now also work at night. The average consumption of 11 litres of kerosene per month per family has dropped to, hold your breath, zero litres!

It is innovation that is going to pave the way for smarter living and better lives. Small innovations like these will have a great impact and pave the way for a cleaner future.

It is not just the poor, though, who are benefiting from solar lights. In our home, we use it as a replacement for a torch at night. Architects Tallulah and Rajiv D’Silva uses the d.light lamp as a night lamp for their new baby and as a reading lamp for their older child. “We always carry it along with us on trips both as an emergency lamp and as a torch. We’ve done a lot of forest night trails using it as a torch,” says Tallulah.

Dr. Jen Lewis, based in Goa, also bought a lantern from Clinton Vaz and she says she has found it incredibly useful during the power cuts in Vasco. “It is always on the window ledge charging,” she says. She hopes to buy another one soon.

What about you?