Artificial light is something we take for granted and simply don’t think about – but for some communities, light can be a luxury. In the 7,000 scattered islands of the Philippines, light can be very scarce, and saltwater is abundant. With that in mind, SALt engineers have designed a lamp that runs on salt water.

Image via SALt.

Lipa Aisa Mijena combined her skills as a De La Salle University with her motivation as a member of Greenpeace Philippines to get the lamps in the hands of the most underprivileged communities in the islands. Many rural inhabitants still use candles, paraffin, or battery-operated lamps in their home, which are not only inefficient and unreliable, but can also cause house fires.

[Also Read: Are molten salt reactors the future of renewable energy?]

The SALt lamp uses a solution of one glass of water mixed with two tablespoons of salt – even salt you take from the sea; yep,ocean water can power up the lamp for 8 hours! You can simply fill up some bottles with ocean water and refill the lamp whenever needed – clean light at your disposal. The SALt lamp can last up to a year, if it’s used just a few hours a day. Using SALt lamp 8 hours a day every day will give you an anode lifespan of 6 months.

Oh, and if necessary, you can also charge your smartphone or tablet from the lamp.

Image via SALt.

The product hasn’t been yet released on the market, as confirmed by the product’s Facebook page. It’s still in its testing phase, but should hit the shelves of people in Philippines (and why not, of the world) pretty soon:

“Good day everyone! We have been receiving a lot of emails asking where to buy the lamp. This is to inform you that the lamp is not out in the market yet. We are still in product development stage and will soon get into mass production. Rest assure we will announce here on our facebook page and website upon the launching of our product.”