Project Experts
Amandine Gal Team Leader, Lead Evaluation Expert
Stéphanie Nour Deputy Team Leader, Senior EE/RE Expert, and Evaluator
Krystian Feucht Energy Access and RE Technical Expert
Laurence Martel Evaluation and Just Transition Expert
Independent Evaluation of the Green Climate Fund Approach to the Energy Sector
Supporting the global transition of the energy sector with evidence-based interventions
- Client
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Year
2023
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Regions
- Asia and the Pacific
- Europe
- Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)
- Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
- North America (USA-Canada)
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Services
- Evaluation of Energy and Climate Initiatives
- Integration of Environmental, Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Dimensions
- Climate Finance Funds, Mechanisms and Products
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Countries
Global
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Sectors
- Commercial and Residential
- Energy & Water Utilities
- Financial institutions
- Governments and Public Services
- Industrial
- Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
The world largest dedicated climate fund, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) was established in 2010 to support developing countries in pursuit of a low-emission and climate resilient future. In the fight against climate change, the energy sector represents a substantial battleground, accounting for 75% of emissions worldwide.
Whilst reducing sectoral emissions is core to keeping global warming under 2degrees, the energy sector also needs to facilitate clean energy access to the 750 million people still in need, not only in sub-Saharan Africa, but in all regions of the world, and especially in remote areas.
Moreover, the increased speed of green energy market growth transforms the working opportunities for workers in the sector, and those wanting to join. This deep sectoral transformation of the energy working space needs to facilitate the economic inclusion of a more diverse workforce, where women and the youth can be at the forefront, gaining access to stable and meaningful work opportunities.
Increasing access whilst reducing emissions: a global challenge
Conducting the first ever evaluation of the GCF energy sector came with significant methodological and operational challenges. The GCF manages a vast and heterogeneous portfolio spanning more than 100 countries, making it difficult to generate a coherent, comparable picture of how energy interventions perform globally. Energy activities are embedded across a wide range of projects, often not explicitly labeled as “energy”, which complicated the task of accurately identifying, classifying, and assessing energy-relevant initiatives.
In addition, data availability varied considerably across regions, implementing partners, and project types. The project’s data collection followed different standards and timelines depending on country contexts, generating frictions to building a unified evidence base and conducting robust comparative analyses across geographies.
Finally, integrating gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) into what is traditionally a highly technical, engineering focused sector assessment added an extra layer of complexity. Ensuring that inclusivity considerations were systematically analyzed, from project design to benefits for end users, required adapting evaluation tools, redefining evidence requirements, and engaging diverse local stakeholders.
Mandate
Conduct the Fund’s first‑ever evaluation of its energy sector portfolio.
Assessing Energy Investments for Maximum Climate Impact
To assess how its investments contribute to global climate goals, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) commissioned Econoler to conduct the Fund’s first‑ever evaluation of its energy sector portfolio. This mandate required a rigorous, independent assessment grounded in internationally recognized evaluation standards, championed by the OECD. Econoler was tasked with examining the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact potential, and strategic alignment of GCF energy interventions, with the overarching goal of strengthening how the Fund delivers measurable climate benefits for developing countries.
More specifically, the evaluation sought to determine the extent to which GCF energy projects align with global mitigation and resilience objectives and whether they generate tangible outcomes for end beneficiaries. Particular attention was given to the needs and perspectives of governments, national institutions, and vulnerable populations, who are the ultimate recipients of international climate finance. This strategic inquiry can serve as a cornerstone for enhancing the GCF’s future programming, ensuring that energy sector investments drive deep, equitable, and sustained climate impact.
The strength of a diverse team
Econoler deployed a multidisciplinary team with specialized expertise spanning energy engineering, energy systems and policy analysis, climate finance and investment, and advanced evaluation methodologies. This core team was complemented by GESI specialists ensuring systematic integration of gender and social inclusion across analytical frameworks and evidence pathways. To ensure contextual accuracy and sector specific granularity, Econoler also leveraged a vetted network of regional and national consultants, providing in-depth knowledge of regulatory environments, institutional capacities, technology deployment constraints, and local implementation realities across all targeted geographies. Together, this approach enabled a technically robust, methodologically consistent, and context-responsive assessment fully aligned with international evaluation standards and best practices.
Deep contextual insights for actionable recommendations
To support the Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) of the GCF, Econoler proposed a comprehensive and methodologically robust solution designed to assess, for the first time, the Green Climate Fund’s energy sector approach. The approach began with the development of a full evaluation framework, including a reconstructed theory of change, tailored benchmarking tools, and detailed evaluation matrices covering relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and strategic alignment. Econoler also designed data collection and management tools that ensured methodological consistency across the evaluation.
A mixed-methods evidence generation strategy was implemented, combining extensive qualitative and quantitative data. This included interviews with project beneficiaries, accredited entities, and international donors; surveys; focus groups; desk reviews of literature and past GCF evaluations. Econoler also conducted a thorough portfolio analysis of both energy and nonenergy projects to identify sector-relevant activities and refine the GCF’s project classification methodology.
To deepen contextual insights, field missions were carried out in six countries, Chile, Indonesia, Mongolia, North Macedonia, Tonga, and Zambia, selected to represent diverse geographies, stakeholder types, and project contexts. The data collected informed the revision of the theory of change and provided the evidence needed to formulate key findings, conclusions, lessons learned, and actionable recommendations for the GCF Board. This first-ever GCF sectoral evaluation now serves as a foundation for more strategic, evidence-based planning in the energy sector.
Robust evidence for energy programming
The Energy Sector Evaluation offers the GCF critical insights to strengthen the strategic direction and operational effectiveness of its energy portfolio. It clarifies gaps in the Fund’s positioning within the global energy transition and highlights the need for more intentional, integrated approaches across energy subsectors and between supply and demand‑side interventions. Overall, the evaluation equips the GCF Board and Secretariat with a robust evidence base to guide more impactful, equitable, and strategically aligned energy programming.
The GCF Energy Sector Evaluation in Numbers
Strengthening the GCF for a climate-resilient future
This first ever energy sector evaluation provides the GCF with a clear, evidence-based understanding of how its investments contribute to global mitigation and resilience goals. The assessment highlights the Fund’s significant strengths: its scale, diverse financial instruments, and ability to operate in countries with limited climate finance access. This evaluation equips the GCF Board and Secretariat with a robust analytical foundation to guide future programming. It strengthens the Fund’s capacity to advancing a just, low emission, and climate resilient future for developing countries.