Article type
Abstract
Background: Halfway through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), progress toward SDG 7, which aims to provide affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, is mixed. Although the share of populations with access to electricity has risen 10% in the past decade, this is concentrated in certain countries, with much of the world’s rural poor still without access. Robust data, information, and knowledge can substantially improve the design and implementation of high-impact interventions toward the achievement of SDG 7. To ensure efforts to promote sustainable energy can utilize the evidence available, 3ie and Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) have coproduced an evidence gap map (EGM), systematic review (SR), and research agenda for SDG 7.
Objectives: The EGM and SR on sustainable energy are global public goods that will be presented by 3ie and SEforALL. The focus of the discussion will be the use of evaluative evidence to inform decision making and intervention design to achieve SDG 7.
Methods: To develop the EGM and SR, we have conducted a systematic search and screening process. Our work was based around a framework of interventions and outcomes, developed in consultation with stakeholders in the sector, which focused on the 3 outcomes targets of SDG 7: energy access, efficiency, and renewables.
Results: The EGM includes 703 impact evaluations and systematic reviews. The evidence base identified is large and recent (nearly half published over the last 3 years). Many research gaps remain, including the evaluation of technologies outside of improved cookstoves and the impact of electricity access interventions in countries with the lowest electrification rates. The SR focuses on the effectiveness of a subset of the interventions from the EGM. The combination of findings of this project will inform the priorities for a future research agenda on SDG 7.
Conclusions: This project maps the rigorous evidence available and highlights priority areas for future research in the sustainable energy sector. Our presentation will discuss the findings from the synthesis project and how organizations can utilize these results to support evidence-informed decision-making and commission future research.
Objectives: The EGM and SR on sustainable energy are global public goods that will be presented by 3ie and SEforALL. The focus of the discussion will be the use of evaluative evidence to inform decision making and intervention design to achieve SDG 7.
Methods: To develop the EGM and SR, we have conducted a systematic search and screening process. Our work was based around a framework of interventions and outcomes, developed in consultation with stakeholders in the sector, which focused on the 3 outcomes targets of SDG 7: energy access, efficiency, and renewables.
Results: The EGM includes 703 impact evaluations and systematic reviews. The evidence base identified is large and recent (nearly half published over the last 3 years). Many research gaps remain, including the evaluation of technologies outside of improved cookstoves and the impact of electricity access interventions in countries with the lowest electrification rates. The SR focuses on the effectiveness of a subset of the interventions from the EGM. The combination of findings of this project will inform the priorities for a future research agenda on SDG 7.
Conclusions: This project maps the rigorous evidence available and highlights priority areas for future research in the sustainable energy sector. Our presentation will discuss the findings from the synthesis project and how organizations can utilize these results to support evidence-informed decision-making and commission future research.