In addition to selling outdoor solar-powered lights, IKEA in the U.S., in partnership with SunPower, has been offering homes in select California locations home solar. And it does not end there. Now, the Swedish flat-pack furniture giant wants to do more than just take advantage of solar power; it wants to spark conversation about the use of solar energy in everyday objects, and it has partnered with social business Little Sun to do just that.
The result is SAMMANLÄNKAD, which includes two sun-powered LED lamps that capture light energy to create light. The LED lamps are the SAMMANLÄNKAD table lamp and the portable SAMMANLÄNKAD LED lamp. The SAMMANLÄNKAD table lamp has the most intriguing design, IMHO. It is inspired by the sun and the earth’s angle and movement around it. The light sound is half of a sphere but appears to be a full-sphere through the reflection of a mirror to which it attaches.
The flip side of the mirror is the solar panel. A gyroscope design metal frame holds the light source, making it easy to adjust both the solar panel and the light direction, and allowing for versatile use as a pendant or table lamp. That’s right. The SAMMANLÄNKAD table lamp can be a pendant lamp if so desire. Not only that, the light source can be removed from the stand to use as a flashlight.
Meanwhile, the smaller portable lamp is aimed squarely at outdoor settings and is also equipped with solar panels. It comes with a yellow strap that lets you hang it on a window or backpack during the daylight hours for charging. Both lamps are outfitted with rechargeable batteries.
The table lamp can also be charged through an outlet using its USB-A and USB-C ports and when fully charged, the lamp’s battery can also serve as a power bank during emergencies.
The SAMMANLÄNKAD sun-powered LED lamps will launch in select IKEA markets this month (April 2023). Meanwhile, you may learn more over at IKEA.com and Littlesun.org.
Images: IKEA/Little Sun.
