The doctoral research project targets to understand the relevance of frugal and affordable energy innovations in sustainable energy transitions among low-income communities in emerging economies. The target technology is solar micro-grids in India. The various related sustainability challenges are studied as well as the role of distributed energy in the country's energy mix among rural energy users. Key methods include field trials, interviews, data analysis and sustainability and reliability assessments.

The aim of the proposed research is to investigate the role of supplier development in achieving sustainability in supply chains. In doing so, we also look into how capacity building affects or improves the performance of both supplier and supplier communities and help in shaping a sustainable society.