ESKOM ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING DESIGN COMPETITION 2006

CREATIVE TECH-BOFFINS INVITED TO ENTER EXCITING LIGHTING DESIGN COMPETITION 

Innovative, ingenious, creative, functional, attractive, efficient … these are some of the qualities Eskom is looking for in its exciting Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition - a competition that rewards its winners handsomely and challenges its participants to combine technical know-how with flair and functionality. 

Eskom invites and challenges designers to think laterally, beyond convention, use their intuition and imagination and design and build a lamp prototype that not only works, but is useful and also pleasing to the eye. Of major importance, as the name of the competition suggests, is that the design should use an energy efficient light source. 

Eskom's drive to promote energy efficiency stems from the fact that the more energy we use, the more energy needs to be generated. The result is that more power stations need to be built, which will increase the electricity rates. In addition, South Africa's coal reserves will not last forever. The growing population rate and accompanying demands on our energy resources have a severe impact on the country's natural resources. 

Since CFLs (compact florescent lamps) have hit the market, it became more and more apparent that existing lamp designs were not suitable for new energy efficient technologies. Hence Eskom's initiative to stimulate new designs through this competition, of which the goal is to demonstrate that efficient lighting technologies, such as discharge, fluorescent and LED technologies, can be used in very contemporary and attractive luminaires intended for residential and commercial lighting. 

Someone who succeeded in doing just this, is the winner of the professional category of last year, Hoosein Unice, a Johannesburg-based manufacturer of hi-tech products and electronic equipment. Hoosein was confronted with a tragedy that happened to a family member in the Western Cape where a home was completely destroyed by fire caused by a candle. This prompted him to design what he called a Genie lamp - a rechargeable and portable lamp that gives light for three days and radiates enough light to illuminate two rooms. 

Apart from manufacturing the lamp, which will create job opportunities, Hoosein also devised a franchise system for recharging centres. Such a centre or kiosk can easily be put up in informal settlements - the idea being that users leave their lamps at the centre when they go to work and pick them up on return. The cost of recharging is only 20c, leaving enough room for mark-ups, while the cost to the consumer will remain affordable. In the order of 3 000 lamps can be recharged daily. Hoosein is currently putting everything in place to make his patent profitable.

Prizes 

The total prize money is R125 000 and definitely warrants participation, while the registration of a new patent, of course, also holds lucrative possibilities for the patent holder. 
The prizes are as follows: 
· The individual winner in the student category will receive a cash prize of R20 000, the runner-up R10 000 and the second runner-up R5 000 sponsored by Eskom. 
· The best group winner in the student category will also be awarded a cash prize of R20 000, sponsored by Eskom. 
· The department at the tertiary institution of the winning student, will receive R10 000, sponsored by Eskom. 
· The winners in the professional category (decorative and functional categories) will each be awarded a cash prize of R30 000, sponsored by Eskom. 
· The winner in the professional category will receive the Sparks floating trophy. 

Demonstrate your flair and creativity in this exciting competition! 

Designers are invited to design a luminaire, which makes use of, and complements, a compact fluorescent (or energy-saving light bulb). The closing date for entries is 18 August 2006 and entrants may participate in any of three categories, namely a student category for individual entries, a student category for groups and a professional category.

 Full details are available on the following website: http://www.eskom.co.za/dsm or from the competition organisers at tel (012) 997-1334 or via e-mail at amroux@mweb.co.za