Bottled light

Back in February we reported on an ongoing collaboration between the Audi Environmental Foundation and Litro de Luz in Brasil to bring light to remote communities in the Amazon Basin. Now, two months later, that project is well and truly underway with volunteers working with locals to bring 30 lampposts and more than 150 handheld lanterns to the residents of Nova Canaã, Nova Jerusalém and Lindo Amanhecer on the Negro River.

These three communities were targeted over others in the area because of their lack of established energy sources to provide lighting. Although some communities in the area do have access to power generators that provide electricity to the local schools and health units, even in the communities where these generators actually work, the hours of operation are extremely limited, creating the need to find alternative light sources. 

The two solutions presented to each of the communities were both simple and effective – hand-held lanterns powered by rechargeable batteries, and fixed lampposts powered by photovoltaic plates. The lanterns are made up of a PVC body, with what was once part of a PET bottle, now creating the covering of the LED bulbs. The perfect size to be easily transported by hand around the village, the lanterns can be used inside and outside and provide the sort of versatility that was unheard of before.

Like the fixed, pole-mounted lights, the battery in the lanterns are recharged using solar panels, with the fixed poles designed to remain on all night and then automatically recharge their high performance and low maintenance lithium-ion batteries during the day. 

"The partnership between Audi do Brasil, Audi Environmental Foundation and Litro de Luz was born with a very clear purpose of bringing light to those without stable energy connectivity, without CO2 emissions,” says says Antonio Calcagnotto, responsible for institutional affairs and Sustainability at Audi do Brasil and one of the volunteers during the installations. 

"On the evening of the first day that we installed the poles and delivered the lamps, we could already see the improvement in the quality of life and safety of the riverside residents, not to mention the evident joy with the solutions, stamped on the faces of the children and their families" says Calcagnotto.

The communities themselves have been very much in involved in all aspects of the project from the outset, working on the assembly and installation process, which will stand them in good stead for the maintenance and upkeep of the lights throughout their operating lives. In addition to maintenance, one of the requirements of the Audi Environmental Foundation was that the batteries, when they lose capacity and usability, be returned for recycling, and Litro de Luz will work to replace them.

The initiative is just one of many Audi is involved in around the globe, seeking to improve the lives of local communities through technology, partnering with likeminded organisations with specific regional and technical knowledge. Important to all such initiatives though is that they be executed  without adversely impacting the environment and be sustainable over the long term.

For Rüdiger Recknagel, Managing Director of the Audi Environmental Foundation, "it is extremely important for the Audi Environmental Foundation to carry out sustainable actions with such special purposes, especially in the Amazon region. By signing this partnership with the NGO Litro de Luz in Brazil, we feel that our role is being fulfilled by positively impacting more than 100 families from riverside communities in the Amazon.”