After being encapsulated in a second sheet of film

Residents have been asked by the city to give their opinion on PolyBrite’s Borealis LED street lighting by contacting the City of Naperville Public Works Department through January 2010. PolyBrite anticipates that continued savings projections will be achieved during this six-month demonstration.

Scientists at the Risø National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy in Denmark have developed an inexpensive way to integrate solar cells, LEDs, and ultrathin lithium batteries to create a lamp that can produce reading-quality light. The lamp's polymer solar cells and circuitry are printed onto large flexible plastic films, and the LEDs, flat batteries, and diodes are mounted using silver epoxy. After being encapsulated in a second sheet of film, the sheets are rolled up and snapped together at the corners with metal fasteners.

Large modules of organic photovoltaics, however, capture just 1 to 2 percent of the photon energy that hits them. But the scientist said even that measly return adds value in the price-sensitive context of rural lighting. In rural areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the average household spends $40-$80 per year for kerosene lamps, and even the cheapest led high bay light devices on the market today cost about a year's worth of kerosene. The total cost of the Denmark scientists' solar-LED lamps is only about $27, and they think they can manufacture an improved version for about $10.