Promoting Sustainable Energy Development through Access, Renewables and Efficient Technologies: An Evidence Gap Map

The document presents an Evidence Gap Map (EGM) developed by SEforALL and 3ie to guide policymakers and researchers toward rigorous evidence on sustainable energy in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). Based on a search of 22 academic databases and 29 grey literature sources, the EGM includes 703 studies (668 impact evaluations and 35 systematic reviews). The evidence base is geographically skewed, with nearly half of the impact evaluations focused on China or India, and significant gaps exist for countries with the most pressing electrification needs, such as Burundi and South Sudan. While improved cookstoves are the most evaluated technology, there is a total lack of rigorous evidence for interventions involving insurance, risk guarantee instruments, push and pull finance, and advocacy and diplomacy.

• The evidence base for sustainable energy is geographically concentrated, with nearly 50% of impact evaluations (IEs) focusing on China or India. Regionally, East Asia and the Pacific has the most evidence, while Europe and Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa have the least, each with fewer than 20 IEs.
• There are critical evidence gaps in countries with the lowest electrification rates (below 20%), specifically Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and South Sudan, where no evidence on on-grid or off-grid electrification interventions was found.
• Certain intervention categories lack any rigorous evidence, specifically insurance and other risk guarantee instruments, push and pull finance, and advocacy and diplomacy.
• Among the 35 systematic reviews (SRs), eight were rated as high or medium confidence, yielding specific conclusions: market-based electricity sector reforms lack sufficient evidence of effectiveness on electrification rates; top-down interventions generally fail to improve electricity access in informal settlements in L&MICs; and improved cookstoves can reduce indoor air pollution and certain health risks for women and children.
• Improved cookstoves are the most extensively evaluated technology within the evidence base, and solar energy is the most common modern renewable source used in studies.

APA

Sustainable Energy for All (2024). Promoting Sustainable Energy Development through Access, Renewables and Efficient Technologies: An Evidence Gap Map. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-05/brief-egm-3ie-003.pdf

Chicago

Sustainable Energy for All. Promoting Sustainable Energy Development through Access, Renewables and Efficient Technologies: An Evidence Gap Map. 2024. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-05/brief-egm-3ie-003.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Sustainable Energy for All |title=Promoting Sustainable Energy Development through Access, Renewables and Efficient Technologies: An Evidence Gap Map |date=May 2024 |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-05/brief-egm-3ie-003.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sustainableenergyforall2024promoting, author = {{Sustainable Energy for All}}, title = {{Promoting Sustainable Energy Development through Access, Renewables and Efficient Technologies: An Evidence Gap Map}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-05/brief-egm-3ie-003.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }