A Brazilian mechanic has invented a way of lighting his house during the day without relying on electricity.

    Alfredo Moser has been using plastic bottles filled up with water and a splash of bleach to illuminate dark rooms since 2002 and the idea has now spread across the world.

    It is predicted that his lighting system, which works using refraction of sunlight, will be fitted in over a million homes by the end of this year.

    The secret of the liquid that fills a normal plastic drinks bottle which is often thrown away, is two capfuls of bleach added to water. This stops it turning green with algae when exposed to sunlight.

    Moser drills a hole in a roof tile and then pushes the filled bottle in from below, keeping the bottle in place with polyester resin, which waterproofs the “window” in his roof.

    He said that depending on the strength of sunlight, the light filling his home is the equivalent of between 40 and 60 watts.

    The mechanic came up with the idea for his “Moser light” during one of the frequent blackouts in Brazil in 2002.

    He said only factories had power in his home city of Uberaba, in southern Brazil during the energy shortage.

    His boss once suggested using a plastic bottle filled with water as a lens to focus the sun’s rays on dry grass to light fires in case of an emergency. Moser developed the concept into his light.

    Moser earned a few dollars installing the lights in his local supermarket and neighbors’ houses but his invention has not made him a wealthy man.

    His wife Carmelinda said her husband is always handy at home and has made tables and chairs.

    Moser lamps have reportedly been fitted in over 140,000 homes in the Philippines, where a quarter of the population live in poverty, as well as in 15 other countries, including Argentina, India and Fiji.

    Moser told the BBC he never imagined his invention would have such an impact but said it gives him goose bumps when he thinks how many people are using Moser lights.

    塑料瓶装水照亮你的家

    巴西一名机修工发明了一种日间不需用电即可为房屋照明的方法。

    2002年以来，阿尔弗雷多·莫泽就利用装有水和少量漂白剂的塑料瓶为黑暗的房间照明，这个想法现在已经传遍全世界。

    有人预言，到2013年底，莫泽这套利用阳光折射的照明系统将进入超过1百万户家庭。

    他使用的是常被人丢弃的塑料饮料瓶，不过里面的液体有一个秘密，除水之外还要加两瓶盖漂白剂，它能防止暴露在阳光下的水因藻类生长而变绿。

    莫泽在屋顶的瓦片上钻一个孔，把装满水的瓶子自下向上卡在孔里，再用聚酯树脂固定瓶子的位置，这种材料为他在屋顶上开的这些“天窗”防雨。

    他说，依靠日光折射，家里的照明功率相当于40到60瓦。

    巴西经常停电，2002年一次停电时这位机修工想出了制造这种“莫泽灯”的主意。

    他说，他的家乡是巴西南部城市乌贝拉巴，电力紧张的时候只有工厂里才有电。

    他的老板曾在情况紧急时建议用塑料瓶装满水当做聚焦阳光的透镜点着干草，莫泽基于这个想法发明了他的水瓶灯。

    莫泽为当地超市和邻居家安装这种灯，赚了一点钱，但他的发明并没有让他变成富翁。

    妻子卡梅琳达说，莫泽在家里很能干，还自己动手做过桌椅。

    据报道菲律宾以及其它15个国家，包括阿根廷、印度和斐济共计超过14万家庭已经安装了莫泽灯。菲律宾有四分之一人口生活贫困。莫泽告诉BBC，他从没想到自己的发明有这么大影响，知道有多少人在用莫泽灯的时候吓了一跳。

Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【折射】

    zhéshè

    refraction

    the change of direction of a ray of light, sound, heat, or the like, in passing from one medium into another

    【停电】

    tíngdiàn

    blackout

    a period during a massive power failure when the lack of electricity results in darkness