Greenlight Planet launches Sun King Pico™, a solar-powered light priced at only $8, proclaiming, "The days of the kerosene lamp are numbered."
CHICAGO, Nov. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Greenlight Planet Inc., a leading global provider of affordable solar-energy devices for off-the-grid homes, announces the launch of the ultra-affordable, $8-retail Sun King Pico.
Hundreds of millions of rural families in South Asia, Africa, and across the world spend upwards of $3 per week on kerosene lamp fuel: For lack of grid electricity, their dim, smoky kerosene lanterns are the only option for home lighting. The Sun King Pico pays for itself in less than three weeks, making kerosene cost a scourge of the past.
Cost savings are only one benefit of Sun King Pico: The solar-powered lantern provides six hours of constant bright white light, three times brighter than that of a kerosene lamp. When the battery runs low after six hours, the built-in digital microchip switches the lamp to its "low-power mode," providing additional hours of backup light through the night. This is a truly life-changing product: Sun King Pico means that kids never have to squint through the dim and smoky light of kerosene to read their textbooks. It means families can feels secure all night long, leaving on a night-light to ward off the darkness.
Since kerosene fuel is a disproportionate contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, replacing kerosene lanterns with affordable solar-powered lights like the Sun King Pico benefits not only off-grid families, but the entire world at-large. The Sun King Pico launches during renewed world attention on the hazards of climate change, as the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21, prepares to gather world leaders in Paris.
The days of the kerosene lamp are truly numbered.
"The world's first and only fully digital, highly durable solar home light at this low price point."
"For off-grid families, a solar light is a major household investment," explained Greenlight Planet's founder and CTO, Patrick Walsh. "With the Sun King Pico, we've introduced the world's first and only fully digital, highly durable solar home light at this incredibly low price point. It is immediately affordable to hundreds of millions of off-grid families. For years after they buy this lamp, it spares the family from the cost and health risks of kerosene."
Unlike low quality alternatives that use cheap, epoxy-based solar panels, the Pico is constructed using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) technology, designed to withstand heat, rain, and UV exposure. The Pico's digital microprocessor actively controls battery charging and LED driving, delivering constant output, as compared to low cost, analog alternatives, which yield irregular output, and lack Pico's power-saving low-power modes. On its low-power setting, Pico provides over 72 hours of light after a single day of solar charging.
"With its long-lasting lithium-ferro-phosphate (LFP) battery technology, drop-proof single-body design and global two year warranty, we believe the Sun King Pico is the best, most accessible energy investment for off-grid families in search of a brighter future," says Walsh.
About Greenlight Planet
Greenlight Planet is on a mission to deliver high quality, affordable energy solutions to the world's two billion under-electrified consumers. Founded in 2009 by three university classmates, the Greenlight Planet team maintains an ongoing dedication to replacing dirty fuel sources prevalent in geographies such as Africa and India through its Sun King™ family of affordable, high quality solar power devices.
Over 100 distribution partners in over 40 countries bring Sun King™ to families living off the electric grid, supported by Greenlight Planet's 150 employees in 11 global offices.
Today, over 15 million people in 4 million off-grid homes use Sun King™ for appliance power and light at night.
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