FAQ

Before using your Little Sun Original for the first time, charge it for 8 hours in the sun, to ensure battery lifespan. Please note that for all subsequent charges, you only need to charge the device for 5 hours in the sun.

Yes, but it will run out of charge faster.

To maintain battery life, charge your Little Sun Original at least once a month.

There is no charging indicator. Charging your Little Sun Original for 5 hours in direct sunlight produces 50 hours of soft light or 4 hours of bright light.

Yes, though it will take longer to reach full charge.

Yes. If your Little Sun Original gets wet in light rain, it’s not a problem.

No. Little Sun Original is weather resistant, but not waterproof. It should not be submerged in water.

Little Sun Original is extremely durable. It can handle the normal wear and tear of daily life.

Little Sun Original contains a rechargeable IFR 14500/14505 LiFePO4 battery that will last for up to 5 years when used daily.

Yes. The battery can be replaced, however it is important that you replace it with the same type of battery as specified above (3.2 V with 400mAh). Please dispose of the old battery in accordance with the recycling standards of your country.

You can replace the batteries using a TX9 screwdriver. Please see our detailed Battery Replacement Guide here.

Designed in close dialogue with users in Ethiopia, Little Sun Original is the first solar lamp to incorporate aesthetic and practical feedback from off-grid African regions. The lamp’s unique design was inspired by the Ethiopian meskel flower, a national symbol of positivity and beauty.

Before using your Little Sun Charge for the first time, charge it for 10 hours to ensure maximum battery lifespan – either in direct sunlight or charge on the grid with a USB connection. Please note that for all subsequent charges, you only need to charge the device for 7.5 hours in the sun.

Yes, but it will run out of charge faster.

To maintain battery life, charge your Little Sun Charge at least once a month.

Yes, there is a charge indicator. When charging, the charge indicator shows the current battery level. All lights blinking: low charge. All lights steady: full charge.

Yes, though it will take longer to reach full charge.

No. Little Sun Charge is weather resistant, but not waterproof. It should not be submerged in water since there is also the risk of electric shock.

Little Sun Charge is durable, but might break if it falls and should be handled carefully.

Little Sun Charge contains two high-quality LiFePo4 rechargeable batteries that will support 5 years of daily use.

No, the batteries are custom-made for the Charge and need to be replaced by LittleSun GmbH. If your battery stops working during the 2 years warranty time, you get it replaced for free.

For further info, please get in touch with support@littlesun.com.
Shipping address for exchange:
LittleSun GmbH, Zehdenicker Str. 21, 10119 Berlin

Before using your Little Sun Diamond for the first time, charge it in direct sunlight for 8 hours to ensure maximum battery lifespan. Please note that for all subsequent charges, you only need to charge the device for 5 hours in the sun.

Yes, but it will run out of charge faster.

To maintain battery life, it is best to charge your Little Sun Diamond at least once a month.

There is no charging indicator but charging your Little Sun Diamond for 5 hours in direct sunlight produces 5 hours of bright light (22lm), which then fades to long-lasting soft light.

Yes! However it will take longer to reach full charge.

Yes. If your Little Sun Diamond gets wet in light rain, it’s not a problem.

No. Little Sun Diamond is weather resistant, but not waterproof. It should not be submerged in water.

Little Sun Diamond is extremely durable. It can handle the normal wear and tear of daily life, so it’s fine if you drop it.

Little Sun Diamond contains a rechargeable 3.2V LiFePO4 battery with 300mAh that will last for up to 5 years when used daily.

The difference between Little Sun Original and Little Sun Diamond is that the screws holding together Little Sun Diamond are placed behind the solar panel. The solar panel is glued on the lamp. We decided to do this because it makes the sealing easier and the production more cost-efficient, as we use less material. This means the Diamond is sturdier. Although this makes it more difficult for users to exchange the batteries, this ensures that the batteries will actually last longer.  For our customers in Sub-Saharan Africa, this is a valuable change, as batteries are often less affordable and accessible than solar lamps, which means they have to buy a new product when the old one stops working. Thus, our goal is to produce the most long-lasting, but still affordable solar lamps.

Little Sun produced and distributed solar powered lamps from 2012 to 2024, with a funding mix and social and environmental impact as main targets. No dividends were ever paid out, and off-grid units were subsidized by funds from on-grid sales as well as grant funding. Now we are aiming to provide sustainable solar powered smallholder farmer productivity tools in Zambia, with a focus on social impact.

We accept donations globally and operate locally as a social business.

Read all about the Little Sun social business here.

You are making a global impact by using sustainable solar energy. And you are helping bring solar power to those without electricity – every Little Sun we ever sold delivered one Little Sun to an off-grid African community at a locally affordable price.

Now grant funding contributes to Solar Powered Agricultural Productivity in Zambia. We would love to make an impact with your support, see https://littlesun.org/donation-eu/ if you would like to contribute.

While we sold Little Sun lamps, the answer was partially: Yes, they can. in other instances it was a clear No.

Our current solar powered agricultural productivity work in Zambia is focussed on offering solar powered technology to bring income generating opportunities to rural communities. Based on our experience with the distribution of solar lamps, we spent a number of years working to identify an opportunity that would allow us to bring market linkage to rural farmers.

From 2012 to 2024, our focus was on our lamps. Where possible, the initial investment into Little Sun solar products allowed users to actually save money in the long run. Most people in off-grid areas use kerosene lanterns or flashlights for light after sunset. Kerosene fuel and the batteries used in flashlights are costly weekly expenses. An investment in Little Sun lamps is recovered in 2 to 3 months. Off-grid users then have free light for 5 years. Switching to solar power means off-grid users’ monthly energy costs are reduced to zero, as energy from the sun is both sustainable and free.

In some off-grid areas, Little Sun distributors worked with users to set up flexible payment plans, allowing them to pay for their solar products in small monthly installments.

Little Sun is not a charity, but a social business that believes in the
power of young African entrepreneurs and rural farmers to shape the future of Africa.

Our solar powerer productivty work focusses on creating sustainable market access opportunities for smallholder farmers. While our work is funded by grants and subsidies, our local impact aim is to operate a social business and not a charity. We do not work with recipients of aid, but instead we work with partners and communities on creating income opportunities.

When producing and distributing our Little Sun lamps from 2012 to 2024, we also aimed for a social business driven model. Rather than a short-term fix of donating solar products to areas without electricity (which distorts local markets), we focussed as much as possible on the longer-term goal of building profitable local businesses that distribute Little Sun light and energy. We worked with Little Sun sales agents in off-grid areas, providing business starter kits and micro-entrepreneurial training. Little Sun addressed the need for light in a sustainable way that benefits off-grid communities, by spreading light as well as livelihoods.

In response to the global refugee crisis and local crisis, Little Sun has donated products regularly to those in dire need.

While we no longer produce Little Sun lamps, we are still very happy to receive your generous funding.
With grant funding we establish solar powered agricultural productivity hubs in Zambia, currently with a focus on creating market access for smallholder farmers’ milk.

We would be solarly grateful for your donation. You can donate to the Little Sun Foundation e.V. – it’s Little Sun’s charitable entity in Berlin, Gemany. The core mission is to deliver solar energy to the most vulnerable communities and foster development.

www.littlesun.org/donation-eu/

No, this is no longer possible.
We ended the production of Little Sun solar products in 2024.

Little Sun now operates solar powered agricultural productivity centers in Zambia, more specifically in Southern Province in Zambia.

From 2012 to 2024 Little Sun products were available in over 10 African countries, including in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Senegal – as well as in Europe, Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United States.

We hope so. But for now there is a lot of work and opportunity ahead in Zambia to reach more communities and smallholder farmers there. Be the first to know when we become active in additional countries by following us on LinkedIn, or by signing up for the Little Sun Newsletter on our website.

Sorry, since we don’t have products in production or on sale anymore, we do not work with distributors.

We would love your support though! Donations are always welcome.

That was possible from 2012 to 2024, now we are entirely out of stock and ended production.

That was possible from 2012 to 2024. For company presents, weddings, and other special events, it was possible for you to place a bulk order of Little Suns and customise the lamp or lanyard accordingly.

Little Sun products were produced mainly in Shenzhen, China.

The solar powered agricultural productivity technology we use in Zambia is made in Shenzhen China, and in India.

As a social business and global project, we are extremely concerned with ensuring impeccable quality management and working conditions in every part of our supply chain. This involves working only with suppliers (in China, Europe, and elsewhere), who can prove their compliance with international quality and security standards as well as with social directives such as ISO 9001 (quality management), the BSCI Code of Conduct (working conditions, including child labour regulations) and GSV (safety procedures throughout the supply chain).

While we produced solar products, it was important to us to make solar-powered products that were easily affordable and most of all, have the longest possible life span. Plastic is the only material that has the appropriate cost/durability ratio, allowing us to make a high-quality product for the most affordable price.

For Little Sun solar-powered products, we chose a recyclable ABS plastic, which is durable, highly weather and UV-resistant. This makes our products robust and durable and gives users the possibilty to enjoy solar energy for the longest possible time. We are keeping up-to-date with current research on sustainable materials, and we hope to be able to implement new solutions if and when they become viable in the future.

Little Sun products are made of ABS plastic. In general the granulate material used is at least partially composed of recycled materials. Our manufacturer sells leftover material and faulty parts back to their vendor to be reused.

For Little Sun Original: here
For Little Sun Charge: here
For Little Sun Diamond: here

Electrical devices and electronics must be separated from household waste after their lifespan and disposed of separately.