Liter of Light is a global open source movement that aims to provide ecologically-sustainable lighting solutions using photovoltaic technology and simple materials for those who don’t have adequate access to electricity or who cannot afford it.

In 2015, Liter of Light won the Zayed Energy Prize, the Nobel Prize for the Environment and UN’s World Habitat Awards.

In Brazil, Liter of Light is named as Litro de Luz Brasil and was created in 2014. Litro de Luz Brasil innovates from a social perspective, since all the technology and knowledge is taught to the communities, so they can use basic electronics skills to replicate the technology, independently from Litro de Luz Brasil’s support. We train low income citizens to build our solutions. We believe that by doing so, each individual understand they can change and transform the community in which they live.

So far, we have developed four products (or as we call them, “solutions”):
(i) Daytime Solution (plastic bottle and water) to illuminate indoor spaces at daylight;
(ii) Night Solution (plastic bottle, LED, solar panel and battery) to illuminate indoor spaces at night;
(iii) Public Solution (plastic bottle, LED, solar panel, battery and pipes) to illuminate public spaces; and
(iv) Lamp (plastic bottle, LED, solar panel, battery and pipes) to illuminate indoor e outdoor spaces.

Latest demographic census shows there are about 11 million people (6% of Brazil’s total population) living in slums without access to the country’s power grid and unable to study, work and sometimes even move safely.

Our impact is even more relevant when considering regional differences in Brazil. Uneven investments in infrastructure have led the country to an incipient and unequal distribution of electric energy. Per Capita Consumption in North and Northeast regions is nearly half of South and Southeast regions, put together. Litro de Luz address this issue by providing off-grid sustainable solutions that can be installed in isolated communities, that have no access to the public illumination system.

In 2016, Litro de Luz Brazil won the Saint Andrews Prize for the Environment and started to install solar powered lighting solutions in riverine communities communities in the Amazon. Since 2014, we already expanded to six brazilian cities, implemented more than 400 different kind of solutions and impacted the lives of 4000 people.

Our mission is to have a country where access to lighting overcomes socioeconomic and geographical barriers. For that, we work tirelessly to provide our technology for those who need it most. We work side by side with the community residents, enabling them to initiate a change from within, providing clean and accessible illumination.

Our vision is to improve people's quality of life through sustainable lighting solutions and empowering them to become agents of transformation.