It’s a sad fact that too much of the world still has to live without electricity for basic needs, which is incredible in an age when we’re sending probes to Mars, but what do you do? Well one enterprising eco-activist has set up a small company to manufacture home lamps called SALt which run off salt and water, or just plain old sea water.

It may be basic chemistry class stuff, creating that old electrolytic reaction out of the salt and water, but it’s still good to see someone trying to make a lamp which doesn’t need expensive kerosene, and which can last for a decent length of time.

The lamp, which gives off around 90 lumens, uses a vanilla low power LED bulb and will deliver light for 8 hours from a dose of salty water. The lamp even has a USB slot for charging your phone, although you can only do one function at a time, so you have to decide between illuminating your room or checking your text messages.

There is a downside, however, in that you have to replace the reaction unit (anode) every 6 months if you use the lamp to give off light for 8 hours every day, which means added cost. Still it’s good to see new options for sustainable lighting even if there’s a catch. The SALt lamp costs $35.