Two students from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) have developed energy-efficient emergency lamp innovations.
The lamp, called La Helist (Lampu Emergency Hemat Listrik; Trans: Electricity-Saving Emergency Lamp), is a solution for the community in an emergency situation when a power outage happens at night.
Both of them are sisters from Blora, Central Java, namely Fadhiela Noer Hafiezha (bachelor student in Mechanical Engineering) and Chaieydha Noer Afiefah (graduate student in the Faculty of Agriculture). They make use of modified lamp fittings so that they produce bright lights that are no different from those using electricity.
Fadhiela revealed that this project was inspired by frequent power blackouts in the Blora region. Power outages often occur, especially during the rainy season. This disrupts the activities of the community.
“In Blora electricity blackouts often occur and the community still uses candles for lighting when the electricity goes out. The use of candles has the potential to cause a fire when left asleep. For this reason, we develop emergency lights from LEDs and use batteries that are safe and practical,” she explained during a Press Conference at the UGM Public Relations Office on Friday (1/2).
These emergency lights are made using local materials that are easily available on the market. The components of La Helist comprise LED lights, lamp fittings, ferrite transformers, email coils, resistors, transistors, switches, and batteries.
“Making this lamp is not difficult because the material is easy to get, especially ferrite from unused lamp waste,” she explained.
The lamp takes energy from a small battery type 1.5 Volt AA commonly used for wall clocks. It was developed in two types, 3 watts and 9 watts.
La Helist is designed in a minimalist way, equipped with a switch so that it can be carried anywhere and turned on at any time regardless without depending on electricity supply. Besides saving energy, this lamp can last more than 12 hours and is also safer than candles and useful during power outages.
Fadhiela said that making this lamp is quite simple. It just takes accuracy and patience when working on a series of lights.
“Within a month we produce 500-1,000 emergency lights,” she explained.
La Helist has been mass-produced in Blora. In their production they are assisted by 4 technicians. La Helist is sold at an affordable price of IDR 50,000 for a 3 watt lamp and IDR 60,000 for 9 watts of power.
“Orders have reached Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi,” Chaiyedha added.
They hope that these emergency lamps can benefit the community. In the future they will continue to develop lamps, one of them by increasing the voltage from 1.5 volts to 3 volts with a rechargeable battery so that it can be used for household lighting.
“With this electricity-saving emergency lamp, we hope that it can help the community to deal with power outages in a safer and more economical way,” he concluded. (UGM Public Relations / Ika; photo: Ega-Vino)
