A team of three young creative thinkers walked away with EUR500 (R7 500) after developing a low-tech lighting solution using natural, recycled, used or new components.
The team is named Eye Owl Tech, from the French South African Schneider Electric Education Centre (F'SASEC), based at Vaal University of Technology (VUT).
French multinational corporation Schneider Electric invited VUT and Sci-Bono students to participate in the joint Nomade des Mers and Schneider Electric SA Low-Technology Innovation competition.
The students, in teams of up to three members each, were given an hour-and-a-half to assemble their low-tech lighting solution using natural, recycled, used or new components.
Eye Owl Tech presented and showcased a working prototype of an LED-light called the Flip-Lamp. The easy-to-use Flip-Lamp utilises gravity to pull a sand bottle with a pulley system inside a PVC pipe, conducting electricity from an old microwave motor to fire up the LED light.
The innovative low-tech light solution cost the team close to nothing as 99% of the materials used to produce the Flip-Lamp came from reusing products that were thrown away - including wires, LEDs, plastic bottles, nails, tape, straws, foil, sandpaper and parts from a microwave that had been discarded.
The Isibani High tech and the Edisons walked away with prize money to the value of EUR300 and EUR200 as second- and third-placed winners respectively.
The Schneider Electric Foundation in partnership with the Nomade des Mers expedition had challenged the science and technology students from the F'SASEC, VUT and the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre to compete by being part of a collective effort in solving Africa's fuel-based lighting challenge using low-tech innovations.
Schneider Electric says with many in SA still without access to electricity, there is therefore no better time than now to encourage action that seeks to use frugal solutions such as low-technologies to create innovative and sustainable solutions for energy supply.
Launched by the Low-Tech Lab, the Nomade des Mers expedition is a three-year sailing mission around the world that promotes, tests and prototypes low-technologies, while developing the international low-tech stakeholder and user community.
As one of the six countries participating in this video documented programme that spans land and sea, SA is adding its contribution to the quest of seeking safe, sustainable, efficient and globally relevant energy solutions.
Other participating countries include Morocco, Senegal, Guinea Bissau, Cape Verde and Brazil.
"As Schneider Electric, we believe that access to energy is a basic human right. Coupled with this belief is our intrinsic drive to ensure 'life is on' for everyone, everywhere and at every moment, as the world around us continues towards the direction of increased urbanisation, digitisation and industrialisation which fuels our passion to drive innovation at every level," says Ernie Smith, Schneider Electric SA vice-president of partner business.
"As such, Schneider Electric South Africa values partnerships with institutions of learning - including the University of Johannesburg, Sedibeng College, College of Cape Town, Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the VUT as sources of talent that will ensure innovations in energy provisions and management serve to achieve the goal of ensuring that life is on. Our inclusion of the VUT in this low-tech innovation competition is quite significant because they are the only university in South Africa that has a science and technology park and we expect great innovations that will benefit the wider community.
"This opportunity will enable the winning students to potentially see their lighting solution going beyond prototype to possible commercialisation," Smith adds.
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