This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English DevelopmentReport.

A light emitting diode, or L.E.D., is a device that shines whenelectricity passes through it. But it works differently thantraditional kinds of light bulbs. Light emitting diodes use lessenergy and last much longer than bulbs with a filament inside.L.E.D.'s are also cooler to the touch, and shine a lot brighter thanthey used to.

Red L.E.D.'s have long been used as signal lights on electronicequipment. But now light emitting diodes also come in blue and othercolors. Colored L.E.D.'s are used to show images on everything fromwireless phones to huge video signs. And white L.E.D.'s are beingused increasingly to replace traditional lighting systems.

But all these require electricity. In poor countries, peopleoften burn fuel to produce light. But the smoke can make peoplesick. So an electrical engineering professor from Canada started aproject to produce L.E.D. lighting systems for the developing world.

These lights are powered by batteries that can be recharged withenergy from the sun. The batteries can also be charged through otherways, such as wind power, water power or pedal power. Someone sitsand pedals a wheel connected to a generator.

Professor David Irvine-Halliday tells the story of how he got theidea. In nineteen ninety-seven, while climbing in the Annapurnamountains in Nepal, he saw a small school. All the children wereoutside. He looked though a window and saw that inside the schoolwas dark. The school had a sign that read: "We have no teachers. Ifyou want to stay and teach for a few days, we would be verypleased."

Professor Irvine-Halliday says that experience had a big effecton him. Back at the University of Calgary, he was on the Internetone day. He saw a company in Japan selling bright white L.E.D.'s. Sohe built a light with some. This is how he began the Light Up theWorld Foundation.

This non-profit group has provided lights to several thousandhomes in Asia and Latin America. Presently the foundation does notsell its products to individuals. But it does sell tonon-governmental organizations and humanitarian groups.

Professor Irvine-Halliday says "we have a market that is verylarge." He notes that about two thousand million people around theworld live without electricity.

The Web site for the foundation is lightuptheworld.org.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by GaryGarriott. This is Gwen Outen.