The BALL light is designed as an affordable lighting solution for households in rural areas of Madagascar. The product price had to be low and the specific needs of the Malagasy users were to be taken into account. An interesting finding was that the future users indicated that the bigger the solar panel, the better the product would be for them. Other people could see better that they use PV solar energy because a it would be more visible with a big solar panel.

The BALL Light is powered via a separate PV panel. The decision to use a separate PV panel was based on the use context. A separate panel would be installed outside on the roof and proper charging of the product’s battery could be ensured. BALL Light is cheaper than other products offered for the same function. It is dimmable and can be used on the table, hanging from the ceiling, as a night-light and as an orientation light outside.

A prototype was made and as a follow up of the project, further detailing takes place in oder to take it into production.

Fig. 6. BALL light on table (left) and PV panel on roof (right)