ESKOM invites all those with a passion for design to enter its 2010 Energy Efficient Lighting Design competition.
You can enter the competition by submitting an innovative energy-efficient design, system or product, suitable for residential use.
The goal is to have imaginative lamp prototypes that work, are pleasing to the eye, and, as the name of the competition implies, use energy-efficient light sources.
Cash prizes can be won in both the student and professional categories.
However, the value of the competition ultimately lies in encouraging South Africans to design innovative products.
South Korea became the world's fastest-growing economy due to its focus on advancing industrial design, and today it has more than 150 universities and colleges of design.
South African companies, on the other hand, have to pay some R20 billion annually on licences and royalties, as most appliances and other goods sold here are of foreign origin.
Developing goods locally will boast our manufacturing sector and economic growth, and judging by some local success stories, South Africans have what it takes: satellite antennae are
made by a local company that has Nasa as one of its clients, and locally made wheel rims are used by F1 racer Valentino Rossi. University of Johannesburg industrial design students Neil Grantham, Jeremy Kavalieratos and Maritz Erasmus may well become the next design success story.
The trio have submitted their Photosynthesis LED lamp for Eskom's annual lighting competition.
The lamp uses a dynamo to charge batteries, and just one minute of charging provides two hours of light.
"The actual design of the lamp is inspired by creating a type of power plant, but to mimic the technology of nature with that of our own," explains Grantham.
"Just as a leaf uses light by the process of photosynthesis, so the lamp creates its own light. Hence the name, Photosynthesis – photo meaning light and synthesis, to use/make."
According to Grantham, the greatest challenge in designing the lamp was to find a way to store the electricity in an environmentally friendly way.
"Using environmentally friendly materials, including rechargeable batteries, had to be taken into consideration," he says. "We opted for Uniross batteries as they fulfill the requirements and last longer than similar products on the market."
In short, the Photosynthesis LED lamp generates its own power by making use of the dynamo recharging system. The dynamo recharges internal batteries and the charge is transferred to the LEDs via a wireless aluminium stem.
"With the need for more sustainable and non-power supplied products, the Photosynthesis lamp is a much more sustainable option to conventional grid-powered lamps," says Grantham.
"All materials in the lamp are 100 percent recyclable and sustainable and all locally sourced."
• For more information or to enter the Eskom 2010 Energy Efficient Lighting Design competition, go to www.lightingdesign.co.za. Entries close on July 30.
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