[dragonwriter]

> A battery powered LED torch is far superior for emergencies. The only reason you'd really want to use this is if you really can't afford a solar-rechargable battery.

Rechargeable batteries can be reused, but still need to be replaced; this may prove lower maintenance, which means once you can get it, you are more secure with it with a less secure distribution system. In many of the places where people are without electricity in the world, that's potentially a significant benefit.

(Also, solar recharging in places that experience long periods of darkness, e.g., the arctic, may not be an ideal solution. There aren't any places that experience extended periods without gravity, at least not on Earth.)

[Someone]

That's true, but the statement was as to its usefulness in emergencies. This thing is fixed to the wall, limiting what you can use it for in an emergency. For example, if you have to find your car keys in a different room, make emergency repairs to your water mains after an earthquake, or figure out how to get a friend out from a collapsed wall in the dark, a torch is more useful.

For emergencies, I would prefer a mechanically powered flashlight with a supercapacitor over this thing.