DIY 55-Watt Solar Light Bulb From An Ordinary Bottle Of Water

Solar products are pretty abundant right now. You can find countless gizmos, gadgets and inventions using the sun for the purpose of generating sustainable energy sufficient enough to power any number of devices. A lot of them, ironically, are designed to provide a light source. But what if you could make a DIY solar light with three simple ingredients that almost everyone already has lying about their house? Well, you can, but you probably don’t need to or you’re not going to want to. You see, you can make your own 55-watt light bulb in less than a minute and install it in under 30 (depending on the structure), but it’s doubtful you’ll want to make a hole in your roof to use it.

DIY Light Bulb

If you’ve got a thatched roof or shingled roof badly in need of repair, then this might be right up your alley. But, actually, that doesn’t have to be the case. While this DIY light bulb was created predominantly for inhabitants of third world countries or folks living without electricity, anyone can put the know-how to work. The concept is akin to a skylight, and hypothetically you could use it for a variety of applications like sheds, dugouts, lean-tos or cabins — anyplace a light source is needed and electricity may be lacking. Homesteaders and those shunning the technical life or looking for various ways to go green might even be interested in using these solar light bulbs.

Wireless Lamps

So, how do you make one? Simple, get yourself an ordinary clear-plastic bottle, fill it with water (if it isn't already), add some chlorine (keeps the water clean) and then make a small hole in the roof of the structure you intend to use it in and place the bottle so that it’s half inside and half outside of the structure, exposing the upper portion to light. The principle this works on is that the sunlight from above gets diffracted by the water and spreads light throughout the room below. Surprisingly, during daylight hours, this DIY light fixture is capable of producing enough light to make it comparable to a 55-watt light bulb inside a darkened room.

Solar Powered Lights

Even on cloudy days there is still enough light getting inside the bottle for it to work, just not as brightly. In congested rural villages, where homes are literally side by side and almost on top of one another, the small windows they have are often times rendered useless due to the close proximity to one another. These areas are also usually lacking in electricity, period, much less reliable electricity. The idea and implementation of these solar lights originates with a group known as the Empowering People Network (EPN), and the project is known as Liter of Light, which “aims to provide an ecologically and economically sustainable source of light to underprivileged communities around the world.”

Prepping Ideas

According to EPN’s website, the origin of the Liter of Light project is said to be the Philippines, and that, “In Bangladesh a micro entrepreneurship model has successfully been tested and implemented and we are currently working on initiating the same concept in our latest projects in Kenya and in South Africa.” Another benefit is the estimation by the group that 1000 solar bulbs will save 20 tons of CO2. The use of these solar lights will undoubtedly appeal to preppers, survivalists, off-gridders and those interested in inexpensive, eco-friendly alternative energy options. If you’re going to try this, just remember to run a bead of sealant around the bottle on the roof to prevent leaks during rainstorms. 

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