Photos: Let there be light off the grid

John Barrie aims to develop a light for squatter cities that would be powered by a recycled cell phone charger. The Ann Arbor, Mich., architect and director of the Appropriate Technology Collaborative is set to receive a grant from the Lindbergh Foundation to design a universal circuit board for LED lights.

"This simple and inexpensive bit of electronics will make it possible to use LEDs with a wide variety of solar panels and rechargeable batteries," he wrote in an e-mail.

On the left is a Gaialux desk lamp with a cell phone charger in its base. On the right is a fixture for less-developed regions that uses bamboo sticks and a recycled plastic bag.