The Portable Light Project, 2 Watt ?

a non-profit initiative led by Kennedy & Violich Architecture and Global Solar Energy,

in the United States, inserts tiny solar cells into shirts, woven items and bags produced by remote communities in developing countries.

The project aims to integrate clean energy and lighting with indigenous textile production. This helps local communities adopt the new technology and add value to it through their own work.

The project provides kits — containing a thin, two watt solar film, rechargeable battery, USB port, and an LED light — and training on how to weave them into garments.

Pilot projects are underway in Brazil, Kenya, Haiti, Nicaragua, Madagascar, Mexico and South Africa, in collaboration with local non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The Nicaraguan NGO Paso Pacifico helps the project provide electricity to two villages.

Price of US$16 per item can be paid off in a year via microloans

Brazilian sociologist Paulo Martins, who studies the social impacts of nanotechnology, told SciDev.Net that integrating textiles with solar energy is a global trend. “We need to keep it available at affordable costs to the ones who really need it,” he said.