Little Sun is:
An attractive, high-quality solar-powered LED lamp developed by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen
A social business focused on getting clean, reliable, affordable light to the 1.2 billion people worldwide without access to electricity
A global project connecting the world through sharing light
Who we are
Little Sun is a social business and global project addressing the need for light in a sustainable way that benefits communities without electricity, creates local jobs, and generates local profits.
We currently have distribution in over 10 African countries, including in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, and Ghana – as well as in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United States.
Launched in July 2012 at London’s Tate Modern, the Little Sun project has since distributed over 200,000 Little Sun lamps worldwide – and that number is quickly growing.
Little Sun’s unique combination of beautiful design and exceptional engineering has made the lamp popular across the globe. Every Little Sun sold in an area of the world with electricity enables us to deliver one Little Sun to an off-grid African community at a locally affordable price.
Little Sun is not a charity, but an inclusive social business. Rather than a short-term fix of donating lamps to an area without electricity, we work with and train local entrepreneurs to build profitable local businesses that distribute Little Sun light. For us, it’s not just about
delivering light to people – it matters how it gets there.
Additionally we work within communities to distribute lamps through VSLAs, door-to-door sales, and in-home sales events. Working with our growing network of sales agents, we use a personal approach to spread light – and livelihoods – in off-grid communities.