Caption : Aisa Mijeno presents during the 2014 Ideaspace Foundation demo day. Photo taken

from SALt’s Facebook Page.

SALTt to give light for poor Filipino families

Power shortage is not news for millions of poor Filipino families’ they have been living without

electricity. For them, life stops after dark. They close stores early and make sure to be home

before sunset. The night is just for sleeping. It takes a lot of efforts in lighting up their homes.

They need to cut wood to create fire, or walk long hours to the nearest town to buy fuel for

their lamps.

Aisa Mijeno witnessed this first hand when she lived with the Butbut tribe in Buscalan, Kalinga

during an immersion in 2011. “People did not have access to electricity and had to walk 12

hours to reach Bontoc, a town about 50 kilometres away, to get kerosene for their fuel-based

lamps,” she shares in an interview with Tech in Asia.

Mijeno, an engineer who has engaged in social work, says her experience in Kalinga became her

motivation in creating an alternative lighting system that many wouldn’t even think possible.

The lighting system doesn’t require electricity, batteries or even fuel to run. All it needs are two

basic and natural things: salt and water.

It was a blessing in disguise. Mijeno’s idea for the alternative lighting system had been in her

mind, but she didn’t have the means to make it happen.

Luckily in 2013, incubator Ideaspace Foundation held a technopreneurship bootcamp in De La

Salle-Lipa as part of a nationwide call for entries in its annual startup competition. Mijeno

pitched her idea and to her surprise, it got accepted.

With the help of Ideaspace, which provided them funding and “soft support,” Mijeno and her

brother Raphael created their startup SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting).

SALt’s lamp looks nothing extraordinary – it also makes use of a LED bulb – but you don’t need

to plug it or use battery or fuel to make it light up. Dissolve two tablespoons of salt in a glass of

water and pour it onto the lamp and voila, you have light for eight hours. Of course, it’s easier if

you live by the sea since saltwater is readily available.

The lamp gives out about 90 lumens equivalent to seven candles lit up or the brightness of a

low-LED bulb.

Meanwhile, it has a special feature: a USB slot for charging your mobile phone. Take note

however that it can only perform one function at a time – so you need to choose between

lighting it up or charging your device.

The product is not rocket science, says Mijeno. In fact, the whole idea behind it is taught in high

school chemistry classes. The lemon-battery experiment, that’s basically it. Two different

metals submerged in electrolytes will produce electricity. SALt used saltwater.”

SALt will keep families from turning to substitutes that are dangerous and expensive like

kerosene, which is a major contributor to indoor air pollution. Not only that – it will make a big

difference in their lives. It will make them feel safe, give them more hours to spend on their

livelihood, and allow their children to study at night.

Mijenos were in talks with local governments and NGOs for all forms of partnerships to make

sure their product reaches off-grid areas.

Lack of electricity also persists in other countries like Indonesia (63 million of its population),

Myanmar (26 million), Cambodia (10 million), Thailand (eight million), Vietnam (two million),

Lao PDR (2.2 million), and Malaysia (200,000). We are hoping that they see value in our

product,” she says.

At the end of the day, SALt’s goal is “to give light to as many homes as possible.”