This interdisciplinary project explored the collaborations and contestations between diverse stakeholders in designing, implementing and using innovative forms of domestic energy for low-income urban settlements in South Africa and India. It was initiated to research how low-income communities, private energy entrepreneurs, and governments (at various scales) work to devise and deliver affordable domestic energy that meets the long-term needs and aspirations of low-income households in two rapidly urbanising cities, Bengaluru (India) and Cape Town (South Africa).