SOLAR
- Hannah McDonald
- Feb 15, 2018
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 10, 2022
Part One: Favorite Meal
Part Two: Solar Slum
Part One
Throughout the trip, we have eaten so much food and tried so many new foods. Today, though, was our favorite meal. Prerna’s family made us a vegetable stir fry dish and a garbanzo bean dish along with some bread. There was no spice, and it was prepared in a very simple manner. This combination made the meal delicious.
After lunch, Prerna showed us how to make authentic chai. She boiled water, added spices and black tea, and then added milk. Their milk is delivered and boiled daily from packets, and the part of the milk that thickens over the top when boiled is used to make ghee. Therefore, rather than keeping the milk in cartoons, like we typically do, the milk is kept in a large pot. The chai was delicious, and lucky for us, they gave us a few chai materials to bring home and make our own.
Part Two
In Mumbai, I took you through the Dharavi Slum which grew out of increased population growth and limited availability of land. Today, I will take you through a solar slum in Bangalore which exist because of migration from outside the city to find work in construction as Bangalore has become the IT capitol of India. Arriving at the slum, we were shocked by how different the solar slum is from Dharavi Slum. The homes were not stacked up tall and so close together that one could barley walk through them. Rather, they were spread out, small homes made out of sheet metal, wood and tarps. In Dharavi, electrical wires are strung throughout the community, providing electricity. However, there is no such thing in the solar slum, which creates a problem at night for those living there. That is where Pollinate Energy comes in. About five years ago, a student in Australia was writing her graduate school thesis. She identified the electricity problem, as currently about 350 million people in India do not have electricity, and began to research the issue. Now, her thesis has turned into a fully operational business that is changing people’s lives.
Founded by four Australians, Pollinate Energy has created solar products to bring electricity into slum communities. Several packages are offered, but their products consist of a solar light and a solar fan. The light comes with a small solar panel to attach to the roof of the home and a cord to run the light into the house. The light then has three brightness settings and a USB port to charge electronics from. A different package includes both a solar light and a solar fan, which comes with a larger solar panel that can not only power the light and the fan but possibly a TV as well. On the brightest setting, the light lasts for about eight hours, and on the dimmest setting, it lasts much longer. When first introducing the product, the student found that the devices could not be handed out free of charge, as they would often not be used properly. Rather, she established a financially friendly way to purchase the product. Upon purchase, the individual will pay the initial installment. Then, a payment plan is formulated, usually consisting of five or six weekly installments. In all, the light is priced at about $40, requiring the family to pay about $8 a week, but other payment plans can be worked out. However, if one fails to pay their installments on the agreed upon time, Pollinate Energy has the technological ability to turn off the light until the payment has been made. Initially, this is a large expense for the slum families, but it certainly pays off in the long run. Without these solar lights, families often use kerosine to provide light and go into local stores to charge their phones, although they must pay for both. The solar light eliminates these expenses, and the family is usually able to make up the cost of the solar panel in about six months. And, these lights last about seven years, making the investment worthwhile.
To sell the products and collect installments, Pollinate Energy has hired “Pollinators.” These individuals, although they typically do not and never have lived in a slum, often come from troubled backgrounds with little or no work experience. When first joining the company, Pollinators spend their first three months establishing trust in the communities. Then, they are required to sell a certain number of products each month, depending on their level. Each Pollinator is given an iPhone, as the entire system is run off of that, and each is given some technical training to help service and install the products. After selling the product, it is the Pollinator’s responsibly to collect the payment installments weekly. The company is now in six cities, serving between 300 and 600 communities in each city, and the profit it generates is used to reinvest in the project. It can be difficult to start a program in a new city because it takes about $50,000 for startup costs.
Our tour guide today used to work for Schneider. He worked with the electricity distribution after the electricity was produced until it reached the consumer. On average only 60% of the electricity produced reaches the consumer so Schneider works to increase this percentages with efficient products. Our guide said that while it was a good job, flying first class and staying in five start hotels throughout Asia, he did not find the work meaningful. However, in India, there is Corporate Social Responsibility requirement, that ensures companies that make over a certain amount donate 2% of their profits back to social causes. They use their employees as volunteers for these programs. Exposure to this led our guide in the direction of Pollinate Energy when he randomly bumped into two of the founders in a restaurant. This work seemed much more meaningful to him, and soon, his first-class plane ticket and five star hotels from Schneider turned into helping improve the lives of those living in slums. Although he rarely goes into the actual communities, he does a great deal of technology work and development with the company.
Approaching the solar slum, I was immediately drawn back by how different this slum looked from Mumbai. Fist off, the solar slum is entirely residential, whereas Dharavi is residential as well as commercial, and as I mentioned, the solar slum houses are much more spread out, look like actual houses (although very small), and are mainly made out of sheet metal and wood (not concrete and bricks). Additionally, the slum is surrounded by a beautiful technology campus, nice apartments, and skyscraper constructions. Little did I know, this slum in here because of what surrounds it. Many of the adults in the slum either work in construction or in the technology campus doing maintenance work. The slum then developed as it is close to work, and the companies often help support the community in some ways–with water, for example. Beginning to walk through, I noticed that the homes looked just like one would simply sketch a house. Being shown the solar panels while walking through, we developed little shadows. The children, along with a few adults, followed us through. However, there were not many adults around, as most were at work. Some children were beginning to come home from school, while others did not attend school because they have to care for their younger siblings. With the high value I place on education, I found this to be sad. Talking to a man who lives in the slum, through the guide’s translation, I began to pick up on the fact that many of the children know English but the adults do not. They are learning basic English in school, which will hopefully give them an advantage as they grow up.
One women welcomed us into her home, and this is when I realized just how small the homes are. There is a tiny kitchen and a bed, but that is it. She had purchased both a fan and a light, both of which made a large, noticeable difference. The room was humid, and the fan helped drastically, and as the sun set, you could see the difference having a light in the home made. Suddenly, daily productivity would persist into the night.
Moving into a different part of the slum, we began to see a few shops. The shop that we stopped at used a solar light, and it made an impressive difference. Soon, we had again attracted a crowd of children. This time, we took a picture with them, and immediately after, one of them reached out to shake my hand. I took her hand, and then I had everyone’s hand reaching for mine. It was so cute and completely warmed my heart. Moving along, we attracted more kids and even some adults. We took a selfie with them, and then, the kids started asking for more and more pictures. They would take one, ask to look at it, and then ask to take another. This happened over and over again.
Dark now, we got to see the Pollinator with us make an entire sale. There was a man and his wife outside their home with their little baby girl. As the Pollinator showed them the light, you could see the excitement across their face. The Pollinator showed them how to use the product, registered them into the program using his phone, and gave them his phone number, in case any problems arise. The couple then gave their first installment in exchange. Seeing the whole transaction and the look on the couple’s face showed the true, positive impact these lights are making on the community. The area is becoming safer with the reduced use of kerosene and money is being saved in the long-run.
You may wonder how the distribution of these products is sustainable because, at a point, everyone in the community may have the product. The turn over of families in the homes in combination with the growth of the slum and the purchase of multiple products allows the sales to be sustainable. Since the products are so portable, a family takes their light with them when they leave. Then, when a new family arrives, they get wind of the product that everyone has and buys one for themselves. All it takes is to convince one home in the community to purchase the light, and then, it spreads like wildfire because the whole community sees the undeniable benefits of the product.
Just being in the solar slum for the short time we were, I felt extreme happiness for the positive work that is being done to help improve the lives of those in the slum and the unique friendliness of both the children and the adults. I felt even more welcomed into the solar slum community, as I got to interact with the kids and adults who live there. This is not an opportunity we got in Dharavi, and I think it is partly due to the unique relationship that Pollinate Energy has created with those in the solar slum communities. There are many more problems to be fixed in the slums, such as sewage issues, but it is heartening to see the progress being made and the lives being improved. Dharavi gave us a reality check, but the solar slum showed us that we can help.
Mosquitos beginning to swarm, it was time to go endure the traffic, which was so bad tonight that some men actually got out of their cars and began directing traffic. Tomorrow’s blog post will be the last one because tomorrow night we begin our 34 hour trek home. It is unlikely that I will be able to post tomorrows blog before we get home, due to internet accessibility, but rest assured, I will post it as soon as possible.
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