{"id":41466,"date":"2020-07-21T14:52:32","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T04:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=41466"},"modified":"2022-02-09T11:05:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T00:35:18","slug":"solar-lights-pollinate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-lights-pollinate\/","title":{"rendered":"Solar Helps Some Of The World’s Poorest Households Save $734,000 In 12 Months"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pollinate<\/p>\n

Financial Year 2019-20 was a big year in SolarQuotes\u2019 support for the NGO Pollinate Group, which supports low-income households in India by helping them replace expensive kerosene lighting with solar powered alternatives. By sending $1 to Pollinate Group for each quote request on this site, we\u2019ve been able to send $64,655 their way in 12 months.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, as Director of Philanthropy Biheng Zhang told us, <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSolarQuotes is really helping us distribute a lot of life-improving goods – for our customers it saves them money they would otherwise spend on kerosene, which is really expensive.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a double impact not only for the customers, who have access to clean energy, but the women entrepreneurs.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Before the COVID-19 crisis, Zhang told us they were seeing growing numbers of women taking part in the program, and in turn, their skills and experience were also growing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sales have fallen because of COVID-19, but the organisation still managed to get nearly 7,500 units into their target communities between 1 July 2019 and 30 June 2020 – an aggregate saving of just over 42,000 tonnes of CO2, and an Australian-dollar saving of $98 a year for families that no longer have to buy kerosene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pollinate Group calculates that so far, the aggregate savings for all customers last year was nearly $734,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19’s Impact<\/h2>\n

The COVID-19 crisis has made philanthropy far more important to Pollinate than ever. As Zhang told us earlier this year, shutdowns and distancing put the organisation\u2019s business model in abeyance in India and Nepal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Their communities still need help. COVID-19 has not only hit their women entrepreneurs, but since Pollinate can\u2019t distribute the solar lamps it\u2019s also deprived their communities of their usual meagre incomes in jobs such as construction and domestic labour, because both of these became impossible in the crisis.<\/span><\/p>\n

COVID-19 has been a big part of the last 12 months, Biheng told us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID really impacted our communities and our consumers terribly,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re some of the poorest people in India, and were the first to feel not just the threat of the pandemic, but the loss of income and the loss of essentials.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Biheng said Pollinate has had to provide other kinds of support – for example, helping communities whose members live on less than $1.90 per day access food and essentials.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe way SolarQuotes mobilised their community of customers and suppliers helped us continue this work with the vulnerable communities. I was updating our teams in India and Nepal regularly, and knowing that they were behind us was a huge motivation for all of us.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Groups like Pollinate also helped communities navigate the support packages offered by the Indian government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Things remain challenging on the ground in both countries, in spite of the lockdown lifting.<\/span><\/p>\n

India in particular has a still-rising caseload. Biheng said the Indian government is now working to a localised lockdown strategy, and there are anecdotes of rising demand for product in some places.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pollinate\u2019s challenge, where COVID-19 is still circulating but where the economy is beginning to re-open, is to work out how to deliver its products in a low-touch economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we avoid daily contact? How do we get more cashless, for the next twelve months or maybe longer?\u201d Biheng said.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThere is still an urgent need for clean and affordable energy in our communities. But we have to meet the demand safely.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pollinate Group<\/a> is very grateful for the support it\u2019s received from its philanthropic community: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe will rely on them quite heavily for the rest of this year, but we\u2019re optimistic that we\u2019ll be able to continue our presence in those communities.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Financial Year 2019-20 was a big year in SolarQuotes\u2019 support for the NGO Pollinate Group, which supports low-income households in India by helping them replace expensive kerosene lighting with solar powered alternatives. By sending $1 to Pollinate Group for each quote request on this site, we\u2019ve been able to send $64,655 their way in 12 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":41472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[686,507],"tags":[685],"class_list":["post-41466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-solar-and-the-environment","tag-pollinate","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSolar Helps Some Of The World's Poorest Save $734,000 In 12 Months<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover how Australians requesting quotes 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Over the border in India, most rural village homes and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pollinate Energy and SolarQuotes","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pollinate-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pollinate-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pollinate-solar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pollinate-solar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/pollinate-solar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91358,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/pollinate-solar-electrification-mb3159\/","url_meta":{"origin":41466,"position":2},"title":"Australia’s Pollinate Group Pumps Up Solar In Nepal & India","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"April 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of the world\u2019s poorest communities are replacing dirty diesel generators and wood-fired stoves with solar water pumps and induction cooktops, thanks to the efforts of Melbourne-headquartered social enterprise Pollinate Group. Pollinate Group was founded in 2012 by six young Australians who were wanting to address energy poverty in Bangalore,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcements"","block_context":{"text":"Announcements","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/announcements\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Australian social solar electrification enterprise - Pollinate Group","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pollinate-group-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pollinate-group-solar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pollinate-group-solar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pollinate-group-solar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/pollinate-group-solar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":98792,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/energy-access-starts-small\/","url_meta":{"origin":41466,"position":3},"title":"The Small Solar Products Making A Big Impact","author":"Kim Wainwright","date":"April 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from Pollinate Group shows that \u201cenergy access\u201d isn\u2019t always about big infrastructure. In many communities across India and Nepal, it still comes down to small, practical products \u2014 delivered by local entrepreneurs who are building incomes at the same time. SolarQuotes has been supporting Pollinate Group for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar Panels"","block_context":{"text":"Solar Panels","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-panels-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pollinate report 2025","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pollinate-report-2025.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pollinate-report-2025.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pollinate-report-2025.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pollinate-report-2025.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/pollinate-report-2025.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38921,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-pollinate-help\/","url_meta":{"origin":41466,"position":4},"title":"\u2018Solar Lamp\u2019 Social Enterprise Pollinate Needs Our Help For Its COVID-19 Work","author":"Richard Chirgwin","date":"April 14, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Regular readers will recall that SolarQuotes is a supporter of a remarkable enterprise called Pollinate Group, which supports communities in Nepal and India with solar lamps (comprising a 3.3 watt solar panel, a 3000mAh battery, 165 lumen LED and 2 USB charging ports) \u00a0to replace unpleasant and dangerous kerosene lamps.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar and the Environment"","block_context":{"text":"Solar and the Environment","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-and-the-environment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"indian kids","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pollinate-covid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pollinate-covid.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pollinate-covid.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pollinate-covid.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/pollinate-covid.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59147,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-camels-education-mb2366\/","url_meta":{"origin":41466,"position":5},"title":"“Solar Camels” Bringing E- Books To Ethiopian Kids","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"February 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A global charity seeking to improve the lives of children has turned to solar power to help deliver reading material to children in Ethiopia. Save The Children Fund was established in 1919 and today is a global movement made up of 29 national member organisations working in 120 countries. Among\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General Solar & Storage News"","block_context":{"text":"General Solar & Storage News","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/solar-battery-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solar powered camel library","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/solar-camels-books.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/solar-camels-books.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/solar-camels-books.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/solar-camels-books.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/solar-camels-books.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41466"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41480,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41466\/revisions\/41480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}