How to build a SOLAR BOTTLE BULB

Light up dark areas in your home during daytime using this green and sustainable concept. Recycle used clear plastic soda bottles, add water+bleach, then install. After installation this solar light bulb can provide approximately 55 watts of light from the sun! 

The comments below have noted that this is like a solar tube or deck prism. 

The communities who benefit from this idea live in areas where the houses hardly have windows and live in darkness even during daytime. Their solution up until this innovation was to turn on the light bulb and use electricity.



Source: www.isanglitrongliwanag.org

Materials:
*PET soda bottle
*Galvanized Iron (GI) sheet
*Rubber sealant
*Bleach
*Filtered Water

Step 1: Cut approximately 9 x 10 inches of GI sheet (corrugated or flat)

(Filipino: Gumupit ng yero na may sukat na 9 x 10 inches.)


*Here is a how-to video

Comments

[basementhacker]

Is there something special about PET bottles? Would normal un-PET bottles work too?

[contactscolored]

sensational and informative! thanks

[softenersreviews]

WOW!
Thank you so much :) You made my day !!

[BlueKnyght]

can't we use glass bottles instead of pet bottles??? i think glass will last longer than plastic... or probably forever if left undisturbed.

[karlamae657]

yes!

[acachucho]

Could someone please email pdf instructions as I am not a Pro memeber

[kdiane]

sensational and informative
thanks

[aewers]

It isn't anything special just the light being scattered. Kinda like when water drips from a sink and you see little dots of white light flit about the ripples. There is no chemical reaction or luminescence. It only provides light during daylight hours. Hopefully that helps

[JensonBut]

WOW!
Thank you so much :) You made my day !!

[MartijnD]

I would add some salt and alcohol too, if it freezes the bottle will suffer less forces because the water will not freeze so the water will not turn to ice; ice has a lower density than water so the volume will go up, stress on bottle where the bottle is in contact with the roof-panels.

Adding fluorescent components wiil make it glow a little, not enough to see what you would be doing but maybe nice as an orientation light.

These kind of bottle lights can also be placed in a wall, I saw it in one of the Transformer movies near the Pyramids where megan and shia hide and are found by a bug-transformer, these look more like glass wine bottles glued in a cement wall, looks pretty cool too!

[MartijnD]

I would add some salt and alcohol too, if it freezes the bottle will suffer less forces because the water will not freeze which results in ice; ice has a lower density than water so the volume will go up, stress on bottle where the bottle is inside the roof-panels. Adding fluorescent components wiil make it glow a little, not enough to see what you would be doing but maybe nice as an orientation light. These kind of bottle lights can also be placed in a wall, I saw it in one of the Transformer movies near the Pyramids where megan and shia hide and are found by a bug-transformer, these look more like glass wine bottles glued in a cement wall, looks pretty cool too!

[jniedo]

Cosmic Electricity

[ggarriga]

There are several comments on the use of Glass Vs PET bottles. As I see it your only issue would be with weight of the container and the strength of the adhesive used to fix the bottle to the roof/ceiling; Maybe using smaller PET bottles 1.5 liter/600ml in larger quantities a beter distribution of light can be achieved.

[msluka]

..tolle Geschichte!

[nmoraga]

just a question , what if i pour half of bottle with bleach and the other half is water, will it be more brighter?

[silentarts]

Good Question...

[fretted]

Hmm the Bleach keeps the water from stagnet nasty's and the water refracts the light from above to below into the darkness very clever nice Ible

[ayyash ahamed]

thank you, how many grams should be added to how many ml of water to make this as we dont get chlorine liquidised.

[-t]

I love this idea but I am curious if it could be made more efficient with the use of a Glass bottle and a more reflective piece of sheet metal (like aluminum?).

Any thoughts?

[-t]

I am building a houseboat utilizing upcycling techniques and DIY energy harvesting. I love this idea! but I am curious if it would be more efficient with a glass bottle and a more reflective metal (like aluminum).

Any thoughts?

[Varenberg]

This may seem like an odd question, but what if you use a bigger bottle, like the 5 liter ones? Would the light distribution become more like a 100 Watts light bulb?

[kmasoods]

Great idea...
But i want to clarify somethings.... One.. what if i at some part of the day I dont want the light to be there in the room... How can the light be removed temporarily...

[SacredDemon]

Probably some kind of cover would be the best way to block the light with out leaving a big hole in the ceiling.

[nmaynite]

hi...this is thine from BSYF (Bagong Silangan Youth Federation)...we went der yesterday po with Asian Bridge Phil and Asian Bridge Korea.... i/we reli lern alot from your foundation..... AJA!

[davidkichi]

Great instructable! Not to be silly, but I don't think anyone has addressed the issue with the sun heating the water in which could be used if the container was perhaps bigger (water cooler size) to hold a certain amount for washing dishes or light showers during the summer. You'd need to have a hose going into the top for refilling with fresh water and a hose or shower attachment on the bottom with a release valve.

[gowri belawadi]

friendz........does this work???????? i want to do this 4 my exhibition...

[Padre Paul]

I was wondering does the solar bottle bulb light in the night? I have read all comments with a view of finding an answer to this question in vain.

[garypcom]

It does not work at night. The only way it might work at night is if there is a streetlight near by or there is a really bright full moon. All this does is refract the sunlight into the room. The water does not PRODUCE light, only "bends" existing light into the room.

[Tazo]

you've read all comments but you did not read the first line of the instructable itself, you will find the answer there.

[akosisamae]

as far as im concerned, for me this project is good and equip for the people. we can use it in our houses. but like what other commentators are asking, how the bottle full of water with bleach lighted? is it becoz of the reflection and exploration of sunlight.?.. can we use this thing in night ? :) thanks

[bfk]

This is a great new-tech update of glass deck prisms used aboard ships centuries ago. Perfect for sheds. Thanks.

[DURANT]

Is it OK to use this idea in our college research?...

[weskeryami]

hola enserio esta cosa prende? jajaja por q ya lo intente para un proyecto pero no nada q brilla y segui al paso todas las instrucciones .... necesito ayuda ....... porfas...... es urgente !!!!

[kaalas]

can u please say me the reason how it glows?????

[rogiervdheide]

Kalaas, have a look at the comment at the top. The bottle doesn't glow it catches the light of the sun and passes that on into the home. Lighting designers would call this a "solar tube" or something like that...

[kaalas]

and i have an another doubt. Will produce light at the night time also? because im presenting dis experiment in my college so that we can help d poor!!!!

[ShubhiAgrawal]

I have tried to make a model of this solar bottle bulb for my science exhiibition but I don't know why it is not working... I sealed the bottle properly, used liquid bleach and water but it looks like a simple soda bottle filled with water...need help desperately....plz help..

[rogiervdheide]

it your bottle catching any sunlight? It should

[sheepborg]

Well, in actuality they are cheating just a little bit.
While the top and bottom of the bottle sticking out it collects and puts out light at a greater angle than just a hole it does not increase the power of the light. So in normally lighted situations it is just that, a soda bottle with water in it.
Since it is the only source of light for the videos it looks really bright (and the cheating i mention was added exposure and contrast on the video)
that being said, you arent doing anything wrong.

As with most of these feel good initiatives and whatnot, they make them look really grand, but they are often less than grand, or at least rather simple.
Not saying it is a bad idea, it is good, but it is being rather over-marketed.

[bddeverall]

There's no revenue involved so why take the pains to market it? Even if they were "over-marketing", they need the hype to spread the word and help as many people as possible. You suggest that there is some deceit involved with images and the concept. Everything is enhanced with the technology today so just take it for what it is...something positive.