GRAVITYLIGHT: An innovative, off-grid device that that transforms the pull of gravity into electricity

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

£1,010,005

Dec. 1, 2014

March 31, 2016

GravityLight is an innovative approach to off grid power, generating power from a suspended
mass which as it falls provides 25 minutes of lighting or power to small electronic devices.
The key benefits of GravityLight are on-demand lighting & power with no running costs. This
compares with conventional off-grid solutions such as solar or kerosene that are dependent on
the weather &/or are costly. There are three target markets namely: households in developing
countries with no, insufficient or unreliable grid power; disaster relief; and a retail market
catering to individuals requiring light & power for off-grid situations or power outages.
We have developed an initial proof of concept device (GL01) that has successfully completed
initial 4 week overseas field trials. This proved the concept of GravityLight and the feasibility
of generating light from a falling weight as an affordable alternative to kerosene lamps. The
device was well received, 90% said they would use them in place of kerosene lamps. This
device has significant commercial & environmental potential – globally 1.3 billion people live
without electricity & many rely on harmful & expensive kerosene for light.
This project will build on lessons learnt from GL01 & develop robust, low cost, effective, preproduction
prototypes suitable for mass production.
Following trials with GL01 we must address the following technical issues:
- Develop the GravityLight to achieve a production cost of <£4 per unit, ex-works.
- Improve mechanical robustness & reliability of the entire device & gear mechanism to give a
lifespan of >2 years
- Increase the system efficiency, duration & brightness of light produced;
- Introduce a low voltage DC feed to power ancillary devices.
A project plan has been developed, in consultation with relevant parties, to address the above
issues. The target endpoint is the production of 200 prototype devices for field trials to
demonstrate the market potential for this exciting product idea