Case Study: Pollinate Energy scales solar lighting to 45,000+ people with what3words

Pollinate Energy Indian Slum Solar Lighting & what3words

Pollinate Energy is a social enterprise that supplies low-cost solar and efficient lighting to Indian slum communities through local entrepreneurs called Pollinators, who receive a business‑in‑a‑box and a smartphone. Working in informal settlements, they struggled to locate and service customers because there was no formal addressing system and GPS coordinates were difficult and error‑prone for non‑technical users.

They implemented what3words — a simple global address system that gives every 3m square a unique three‑word label — so Pollinators can capture precise locations via a basic app (with offline capability and error detection), upload them to Salesforce, and visualise and navigate to customers easily. The solution streamlined operations and scaling: over 45,000 people have benefited (collectively saving almost 27 tonnes of CO2), many families save on kerosene (one family saves 500 Rupees/month, ~15% of income), and former customers now act as advocates and workers to extend the program’s reach.

Pollinate Energy

Ben Merven

Co-Founder & COO