White LEDS for rural lighting

This paper considers the concept of very advanced technologies being developed in the West, to solve rural electrification problems in the developing world. The myth that poor quality is cheaper and therefore more affordable for rural electrification is dispelled. On the contrary this paper points to instances when problems of the rural poor have been solved by using cutting edge technologies where standard solutions had proved unworkable. In this paper a futuristic technology, the white light emitting diode (LED), for general lighting, is examined as a solution to African rural electrification. Comparisons are made with conventional technologies.