The Solar Project
Low-cost solar lamps from natural waste materials
Six students from the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico have designed low-cost solar lamps made from mud, beans and cactus slime for people living in isolated rural areas with limited electricity. Led by Moisés Hernández, the Solar project saw six students develop six different lamps made from waste materials found in rural Mexico, such as wicker, coconut bark and the maguey pulquero plant. Using solar cells and LED technology, the lamps propose a sustainable solution to the need of nearly seven million Mexicans that live in isolated rural areas with limited or no access to electricity. Taking cues from the solar-powered Little Sun lamp by Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, Hernández and his students aimed to create lights with the lowest possible carbon footprint using bio-materials and low-cost manufacturing methods.