how an australian startup is lighting up indian slums with clean energy - solar energy traffic lights

An Australian-
The Led team is working to provide solar energy to Indian slums and earn up to millions of dollars in revenue.
Australian company Pollinate Energy is one of the 27 shortlisted companies in the global competition, which rewards new companies that use business to create positive changes.
Headquartered in Bangalore, India, the company is now known for its official name Bengaluru.
On the edge of Bengaluru, it is located in an Indian slum between a railway line and an apartment building.
From a distance it looks like any other poor settlement
A group of crumbling tents, a group of dirty children, a pile of garbage crawling with flies.
But if you look closely, you will find that it is a little different from other slums.
Here, the family installed small solar panels on the roof to power the light inside.
Thousands of residents have abandoned kerosene for clean energy.
It not only improves their health but also provides better light.
Laxshmi, a slum resident, told SBS Hindi, "We used to have kerosene lamps.
We are now happy to have solar lights because we can work in the House and the children can learn in it.
For the past four years, "Pollen energy" has been selling life --
Provide products to the poor in Indian cities.
This is the so-called social enterprise, which aims to find business solutions for social problems.
SIX young Australians, including Alexie Seller, a mechanical engineer from Sydney, founded Pollinate.
She is now the chief operating officer of the organization.
"We already have 60,000 people. I was a little surprised.
60,000 people have clean energy at home.
"They may not be able to reach something in at least a decade," the seller told SBS . ".
Bengaluru is one of the most cosmopolitan and prosperous cities in India, where rich people can buy flash cars and Jimmy Choo shoes.
But in the cracks of the metropolis, those who are satisfied with any pair of shoes.
These people are too poor to borrow money.
This is where the pollinators come in.
It offers five customers.
Weekly payment plan.
The default rate is 1%.
Pollinate also trained local staff, calling them "pollinators", selling products such as solar lights, water filters and mobile phones. Manjunath.
One of its most successful salesmen said: "I have worked in this slum for three and a half years.
We are helping the poor.
They were very happy to buy the solar lights and no one was using kerosene anymore.
Sometimes they bring the lights back to their village.
"This slum may be using clean energy, but there are millions more people around India who cannot access electricity --
Solar or other.
The International Energy Agency says there are 0. 24 billion people in India.
Population this month --
There is no electricity supply.
This huge number may be daunting, but the huge energy poverty provides a broad market for growth in energy.
The company has been operating in three cities in India.
Bangalore, Kolkata and Lucknow
But as Pollinate's Alexie seller explains, he wants to expand.
"We have a very clear vision and we want to promote this business in India.
We see this work very, very well in the city where we are currently, there will be more people moving to the city in the future, and we have the opportunity to serve them.
Pollinate Energy aims to provide 2020 pollen Energy in 20 cities in India, inspiring the lives of millions of slum dwellers.