Choose your Light

SDG(s)

Sustainable Development Goal(s)

7Affordable and clean energy

12Responsible consumption and production

Disclaimer:

Please be aware that the content herein has not been peer reviewed. It consists of personal reflections, insights, and learnings of the contributor(s). It may not be exhaustive, nor does it aim to be authoritative knowledge.

DESCRIPTION: What did you observe, or what did people write or say?

Years of unstable electricity has led many Syrians to seek alternative solutions. One that is perhaps the most innovative involves using the existing house wiring network and an old car battery to setup a complete lighting backup system. This allowed the position of the light source to remain the same. Some homes use old truck batteries to further support a TV and a fridge. Interestingly, the fact that only LED lights (for power consumption) can run on these parallel systems, most users also switched their mainstream lighting to LED.

PHOTO/ ILLUSTRATION: Please provide a photo or an illustration of what you observed.

NEED: What need does this answer?

Backup lighting and power during load shedding.

INSIGHTS: What lessons can be learned from this observation?

How using existing networks and assets with some technical upgrades can create a decentralized backup solution.