Professor Subhes C Bhattacharyya

Professor Bhattacharyya is the Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures and the REF Coordinator for the Unit of Assessment 13 (Architecture and the Built Environment) for REF2029. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Energy for Sustainable Development, an Elsevier journal.

An internationally renowned specialist (ranked 41,501 in 2024 as per Stanford/ Elsevier Top 2% most cited scientists across the globe) of energy for international development with nearly 40 years of experience in  global energy-environment issues, Professor Subhes specialises in energy, regulatory and environmental studies with a focus on developing country energy systems. He has extensively investigated energy access issues in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa since 2002 and has led award-winning research in this area through funded projects. He has also extensively worked on energy sector management issues such as energy sector regulation and restructuring in developing countries, and policy issues related to  energy security, climate change, natural resource utilisation and sustainable development. Subhes mainly focuses on applied, multi-disciplinary research that combines engineering, economics, and regulatory and environmental analysis. His research benefits from his past industry experience and his personal knowledge of working with developing country situations. Subhes’ research is supported by various modelling efforts, including end-use type long-range energy-environment system modelling, operations research and other decision support systems as well as regulatory and investment analysis tools. He provides advice on energy related issues on a regular basis.

He is the author of the best-selling book: Energy Economics: Concepts, Issues, Markets and Governance (Second Edition, Springer, 2019). He has also edited a number of other books particularly on rural electrification, mini-grids and energy in Asia. His research project OASYS South Asia received Green Gown Award for Community Innovation at the national and international categories in 2015.

Institute for Sustainable Futures

Click here to view a full listing of Subhes C Bhattacharyya's publications and outputs.

Books:
1) Bhattacharyya, SC, Energy Economics: Concepts, Issues, Markets and Governance, Springer, UK, 10.1007/978-1-4471-7468-4; ISBN: 978-1-4471-7467-7 849pp, 2019, Second Edition.
2) Bhattacharyya, SC (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Energy in Asia, Routledge, ISBN: 978-1-138-99982-4, 2017.
3) Bhattacharyya, SC (ed.), Rural Electrification through Decentralised Off-grid Systems in Developing Countries, Springer, ISBN 978-1-4471-4673-5, 297p, 2013.
4) Bhattacharyya, SC and D Palit, (eds.), 4) Mini-grids for rural electrification of developing countries: Analysis and case studies from South Asia, Springer-Verlag, 2014, ISBN 9783319048154.

#Selected Journal papers:

1) T Sesan, A Fajardo, L Baker, U Uduka, M Kausya, D Kerr, E Onsongo, O Ugwu, E Eleri, and S Bhattacharyya, 2024, 1) Strengthening commercial viability through greater inclusiveness in rural mini-grid deployment: Insights from Nigeria and Kenya, Energy for Sustainable Development, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esd.2024.101584)
2) T Sesan, U Uduka, L Baker, O Ugwu, E Eleri and S Bhattacharyya, 2023, 2) Exploring the connections between mini-grid market regulation and energy access expansion: the case of Nigeria, Energy Policy 113891, 2023.
3) A Mitchell, D Kerr, J Rowlatt and S Bhattacharyya, 3) Developmental discourses of transition in the Indian transport sector: A corpus linguistic survey of the literature, Human Geography 16(3): https://doi.org/10.1177/19427786231169996.
4) Salisu Isihak, U Akpan and S Bhattacharyya, 2022, 4) Evolution of GIS-based rural electrification planning models and an Application of OnSSET in Nigeria, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition (Vol. 2, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rset.2022.100019)
5) A Tiwary, M. Matouq and S Bhattacharyya, 2021, 5) Reducing non-residential asset sanitisation water footprint for improved public health in water-deficient cities, Sustainable Cities and Society, 75, December 2021, DOI:10.1016/j.scs.2021.103268.

Subhes’ research interest lies in the following areas:

1) the interface between sustainable development and decarbonisation issues from governance and equitability perspectives both in developed and developing country contexts at different scales (local, national and regional);
2) energy as a catalyst for sustainable development, particularly for the base of the pyramid market;
3) the complex interactions between affordable and resilient energy systems for urban, peri-urban and rural communities.

• Energy and Sustainable Development
• Energy Economics
• Energy Regulation
• Oil and gas economics

Subhes holds a PhD and an Advanced Masters degree in Applied Economics with specialisation in Energy Economics from the University Pierre Mendes France, Grenoble II, Grenoble, France. He also holds a Master of Engineering in Energy Planning and Policy from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Bengal Engineering College, University of Calcutta, India.

He has taught the following courses: 

Sustainable Development

Energy Economics and Policy

Energy Economics 

Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development,

Economics of regulation and restructuring of energy industries,

Petroleum Policy and Economics 

Energy Data Analysis,

Energy Demand Analysis and Forecasting,

Oil and Gas Economics, and

Economics of Energy Projects.

1. Green Gown Award International 2015 - for Community Innovation for OASYS South Asia Project given by Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, UK.

2. Green Gown Award National 2015 - for Community Innovation for OASYS South Asia Project given by Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges, UK.

Member of EPSRC Peer Review Panel – since 2009.

Member of ESRC Peer Review College

Member of Energy Institute College - since 2015.

1. Fellow, Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
2. Fellow, Energy Institute (FEI)
3. Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy (SrF HEA)
4. Institute of Engineers (India) life member.

Subhes’ areas of expertise for consulting purposes include energy pricing, energy regulation, energy access, off-grid electrification, renewable energy policies, etc.

Subhes has worked with consulting firms like PricewaterhouseCoopers (India), National Economic Research Associates (NERA) and Development Consultants Limited (India). He has also worked as a short-term consultant for the World Bank.

Subhes is supervising a PhD student (as second supervisor).

1) Sustainability, inclusiveness and governance of mini-grids in Africa (SIGMA), UKRI - GCRF, March 2020 to March 2024. Principal Investigator
2) All change: Equitably decarbonising India’s transport sector (Decarb-IT), The British Academy, November 2021 - March 2022, Principal Investigator
3) Integrating the sustainable development goals into climate planning in British and Japanese cities, ESRC, January 2019 - August 2020, Principal Investigator
4) Assessing opportunities and challenges for supporting mini-grids in India to reduce Energy poverty, DFID (UK AID), January to June 2016, Research Lead
5) Global Innovation Initiative – Consortium for Rapid Smart Grid Impact, US Department of Education, Co-Principal Investigator
6) OASYS South Asia – Business Models for off-grid electrification in South Asia, EPSRC, October 2009 to September 2015

Subhes was the Co-Editor of International Journal of Energy Sector Management since its inception in 2007 until end of 2012.

He is now the Editor-in-Chief of Energy for Sustainable Development. He was also in the Editorial Board of Environmental Research Letters and AIMS Energy.

He is a member of EPSRC Peer Review College and Energy Institute College. He reviews grant applications, application for promotion to academic positions, and book proposals for publishers on a regular basis.

He is an external examiner of MSc Taught Programmes for the following:

1) Nottingham Trent University, College of Science and Technology (2021-2025)
2) Business School of Aberdeen University for 2021-2025 (Distance Learning delivery)
3) Imperial College, MSc in Climate Change, Management and Finance, 2024-25 to 27-28.Business

He was previously an external examiner of the University of Aberdeen and CASS Business School, City University London.

Green Gown International award 2015 for Community Innovation for OASYS South Asia project 

https://www.eauc.org.uk/2015_international_green_gown_award_winners