Last month, Pollinate Energy was invited by what3words, a British company to make a presentation at UKTI’s Great For Collaboration event held in Mumbai during the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s —Prince William and Kate Middleton — visit to India.
Recalling their meeting, Arjun Bolangdy (head of operations at Pollinate Energy) and Anil kumar Abburi (operations manager in Hyderabad) say, “The royals came in at about 11 am and before we knew it, they were at our exhibit. I showcased the product while talking about how it has transformed the lives of the urban poor — that now, children could study after dark, people could cook and the family could assimilate and interact socially, something they couldn’t do in the limited light provided by kerosene lamp,” says Arjun.
“What truly enthralled me was the down-to-earth approach that the royals had. They were really impressed by the work we are doing, and asked a couple of other questions about the solar lanterns we have been providing to 1,500 communities across India. The memory of the event will stay with me for a long time,” says Arjun, a mechanical engineer.
“Prince William waited for us to finish our presentation even while being urged to move on,” says Anil. Talking about the business, Arjun adds, “Ours is a social business that aims to improve the lives of India’s urban poor. We do this by providing them with access to affordable, sustainable clean energy technology like solar lights and water filters.”
Elaborating more about what3words, Anil, a civil engineer, says, “It is a phone application that provides a three-word address for every three meter square space.”
In India, there are currently 390 million people who have no access to electricity. Pollinate Energy, a Bengaluru-based not-for-profit company, produces and sells low-cost solar lighting solutions to members of slum communities in Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata and have reached 50,000 people.
Adds Arjun, “Kerosene lamps releases fumes that are the second largest contributors of premature death in young women and children. A solar light provides 20 times the luminosity of a kerosene lamp and does not have any adverse health effects.”
