There are over 7,000 islands in the Philippines and most do not have access to electricity. To make matters worse, they are frequently hit by natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes.
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So to bring light to the inhabitants of these islands, a team of Filipino inventors has created a lamp powered by the most abundant resource around — saltwater.
Dubbed SALt, or Sustainable Alternative Lighting, the lamp produces eight hours of light from just a glass of saltwater.
Apart from being a fantastic lamp, it also has a USB port that can be used as an emergency charger for gadgets like smartphones.
Led by engineer Lipa Aisa Mijeno, the team makes use of the science behind battery-making to produce this amazing piece of technology.
But because the lamp uses a non-toxic, saline solution, the entire process is rendered safe and harmless.
No flammable materials are used in the lamp, but rather a consumable anode that can be replaced every six months.
Since its inception, this revolutionary lamp has won seven different awards in entrepreneurship and sustainability.
And in a country where many localities have no ready access to electricity — and one that is constantly hit by strong typhoons and earthquakes — this invention is nothing short of a godsend.
Prices are yet to be determined but Mijeno and her team are hoping to bring the lamp to market by 2016.
Learn all about SALt here.