Hardware Testing


One of Guguplex's aims is to ensure all our systems maximise the performance/value equation (dollars per lumen (the unit of light used as a standard measurement for brightness)). This means we test components from many different suppliers to find the best performing ones for the price. One area we see quite a bit of variability is LED light bulbs. These have been making big strides in cost and performance over the last year as manufacturing ramps up globally and we have been testing many different types to determine the most effective for our small systems.


LED light bulbs offer significant advantages over all other types of light bulbs. In the lower power ranges they are the most efficient light bulbs available - essential when using small battery systems. They also switch on immediately, do not reach high temperatures and have very high durability - some models can last up to 20 years without a problem.  They also contain no mercury, the big problem associated with CFL (Compact Fluorescent)  bulbs commonly on the market these days as safe disposal of these bulbs in the remoter regions we are serving is not possible. 


The catch to all these plus points? - Price. LED bulbs have typically been very expensive, but just in the last year alone we have seen manufacturing prices drop rapidly and LED bulbs are now starting to come down to a price close to CFL's.


Currently on my test bench I have a whole variety of different LED bulbs of different shapes,  and power from common round light bulbs to spotlights, T8 style strip lights and ceiling down lights. All have different applications and may prove useful in certain circumstances. Bulbs are great in the home while sometimes spotlights are ideal for outside for security or illuminating work areas.


At Guguplex we test all our bulbs for efficiency, colour quality and intensity to ensure the best types are used in our kits. Our intention is that the bulbs should last the lifetime of the solar panel - 25 years. This should help ensure that Guguplex's lighting kits are known for their quality. Having seen other lighting kits on the market I believe this is the area where we offer by far and away the best performance - significantly brighter lighting kits that provide much more useful levels of light more akin to what people in grid connected homes experience.

Suriname Takes Off!


Guguplex has been blessed in the last month by the support of Pastor Rodney Jaggernauth in Trinidad & Tobago. A regular visitor on mission trips to the interiors of Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana, Pastor Rodney identified with Guguplex's vision seeing the need for solar power in the places that he travelled to which are decades away from receiving a connection to the electrical grid. He has been working with us on a voluntary basis on a plan to install a number of systems in the the Suriname interior and carry out training workshops for interested churches, businessmen and tradespeople in the country. His links with organisations have given us an opportunity to share the system with a wider audience and get real on-the-ground feedback from users.


Guguplex will be donating a number of systems to villages and churches in the interior to allow them to test it and evaluate the benefits. We will also be training people on how they work and how to install the systems. If demand is as expected we will resource local people to start selling and installing larger quantities of systems to these communities and will also be looking at ways to provide micro-financing to ensure affordability.


We are currently looking at making our first trip to Suriname in the beginning of December and of course we will be updating with pictures and video here on this blog.