1. INTRODUCTION: 1,200,000,000.00 people in the world (about twenty percent of the population) do not have access to electricity. In South Africa alone, 25% of households live in non-electrified areas and rely on candles or kerosene lamps for basic lighting (reference). With the growing demand for electricity and the depletion of fossil fuels currently used to produce electricity, these people are facing the prospect of being unconnected for years to come. In an effort to solve this problem, “GREEN LANTERNS CO.” was contacted and commissioned to build and test a solar lantern (prototype) that would suit the Southern African context and be able to supplement the need for basic lighting in non-electrified areas. Solar lanterns use a free renewable energy source and are also environmentally friendly. Therefore they can be seen as a way to decrease the dependence on rudimentary methods of lighting in southern Africa. The project proposed in this report is a solar lantern, as it is portable, easy to use, efficient and quite cheap to produce and meets all the specifications of the design brief. This report is structured to include a review of the solar lantern literature, design specifications, manufacturing specifications, and drawings of the chosen design. Experimental tests were conducted to determine the ideal weather conditions for the prototype's operation, as well as charging and discharging time intervals. Theoretical Background: Evaluate whether or not the solar lantern in this report will be able to meet the need for basic lighting in non-electrified areas, the environmental, financial and safety benefits, disadvantages as well as the history of usage... half of the article......Conclusion:From the literature reviewed, it is quite evident that the solar lantern could be the immediate solution for basic lighting in non-electrified areas. The solar lantern uses a free and sustainable energy source, is simple to produce, easy to use and requires minimal maintenance or repairs. In the South African context, where South Africa receives approximately 2500 hours of sunshine per year, the solar lantern is the ideal choice (Zawilska et. al., 2011). Although advantages and disadvantages are mentioned, the advantages of the solar lantern far outweigh the drawbacks. Therefore, the implementation of solar lanterns in non-electrified areas will be very successful. Works Cited (Recent Advances in Lithium-Ion Battery Materials Bruno Scrosati Electrochimica Acta Volume 45, Issues 15–16, 3 May 2000, Pages 2461–2466)