Little sun, great impact

little sun lamp

Little sun, great impact

When the artist, Olafur Eliasson set out to combine the power of art with the power of business, he unleashed a bright idea. Literally. ‘Little Sun’ is not just decorative, it is also an LED-light rechargeable by solar energy, which enables its owners to see and do their homework in the dark.

Traced by:
Frederik Preisler

Brought up with Nordic values, Olafur Eliasson has created a way of communicating the importance of equal opportunities. ‘Little Sun’ is sold at a higher price in areas of the world with plenty of electricity, so that it can be sold at a much lower price in off-grid areas – thus making it available to everyone.

Welcome to Afar

Afar is a pastoral region in Ethiopia. Many communities live without access to an electrical grid, and their main source of artificial light is firewood. This makes it difficult to do basic things such as homework after dark.

Last year, ‘Little Sun’ lamps were introduced to the 16 schools in Afar. It was part of the ‘Little Sun’ programme, entitled ‘Power to Read’. Partnering with such NGOs asSave the Children, the programme aims to turn homework into a much simpler task.

A small contribution

‘Little Sun’ lamps are not to be seen as a revolution. It is a contribution. And for schoolchildren, solar light allows them time to complete their assignments at night time after their daily chores. This puts the power of education in the hands of the Afari children themselves.

A little more info

  • Visit the ‘Little Sun’ project here.
  • ‘Little Sun’ distribution in Afar, Ethiopia:
    •  508,148 Little Sun lamps sold worldwide
    •  More than 280.000 Little Sun lamps distributed in off-grid areas of the world, reaching over 1 million people
    • 600 African Entrepreneurs joined, becoming Little Sun sales agents
    • $ 55,137,283 saved on energy expenses in off-grid households
    • 99,995 tonnes of Co2 reduced

Source: Baseline study Jan 2017, impact study March 2017