The villages of Thulo Pokhara and Raje Danda of Nepal's Kavrepalanchok district have become the "world's first villages to be entirely lit by White Light Emitting Diode (WLED) lightning system". This has been possible by the efforts of Irvine-Halliday of Calgary University, Alberta, Canada. Irvine-Halliday was fascinated by the natural beauty of the Himalaya, but saddened by the poverty of the hill people. "There were schools, but without lights," he says. Then he stumbled upon Nichia Corporation of Japan, who develop WLED. WLED provide cheap, energy-efficient lightning, he adds. They require only a tiny fraction of energy compared to the traditional light bulb, are durable with a lifespan of over 10 years. They work on a different principle compared to fluorescent lamps. One watt of electronic power can light up as many as 14 WLEDs. It is also very easy to recharge the batteries -- gently paddling, either by hand or foot for 30 minutes.
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