Greenlight Planet’s Sun King PRO top rated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in CITE solar product evaluation
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In a recent comprehensive evaluation of solar lanterns conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) CITE program, Greenlight Planet’s Sun King™ Pro solar lantern received the overall top rating.
The study, published by MIT’s Comprehensive Initiative on Technology Evaluation (CITE), assessed solar lanterns in use in Uganda, Africa, across six attribute criteria and four product features.
“MIT has created the first the first impartial evaluation of products intended for poverty alleviation, recognizing that rural people in emerging markets should not be viewed as charity cases,” said Patrick Walsh, Co-Founder of Greenlight Planet. “This market segment of our global system deserves the best technology the world has to offer, customized to their demands. We are honored to be reviewed positively in this vital publication.”
As the overall top-rated solar lantern, Sun King™ Pro ranked superior compared to all products of its kind. The report stated some of its best attributes being; charge time, run time on high setting, brightness, task lighting, ambient lighting, luminous range and water resistance.
The Sun King™ Solo was top rated amongst mid-priced products ($20- $40) and the Sun King™ Eco was top rated among entry-level products (less than $20).
The CITE team investigated three principle dimensions of each product: Suitability (the ability of the product to perform its intended purpose), scalability (the capability of the supply chain to scale up at an effective cost as demand increases) and sustainability (the likelihood that product use will be sustained given the social, economic and environmental context).
Since its initial release, the Sun King™ Pro (typical retail price in India and Africa is roughly $30) has garnered wide acclaim as the world’s best solar home light. Fifteen times brighter than harmful kerosene lanterns, the Pro features battery charging indicators and a USB port capable of charging a phone while simultaneously powering an additional device.
MIT has been a driver in the advancement of developing countries conversation. It recently hosted the Scaling Development Ventures conference which brings together perspectives from the international development and business communities to examine the best way to bring poverty-alleviating solutions to market at scale. Greenlight Planet’s Global Partnership Advisor, Laurens Friso spoke on “Reaching the Last Mile: Distribution Models for Energy Products” at the conference.
To view the complete report, visit https://cite.mit.edu/.
ABOUT GREENLIGHT PLANET
Greenlight Planet is the global provider of durable, performance-driven and sustainable solar-powered Sun King™ lanterns. Crafted to meet the needs of passionate outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers living on and off the grid, Sun King™ lanterns blend industry-leading innovation with strategic technical design to deliver positive, portable illumination to the world’s most demanding consumers. Profits from the sale of Sun King™ lanterns in the U.S. subsidize Greenlight Planet’s mission to provide clean, economical lighting solutions to the world’s underserved. For more information about Greenlight Planet or to shop online, visit www.greenlightplanet.com. For additional media information, please contact Kara Herlihy at Pale Morning Media, kara@palemorning.com, 802.583.6070.
