Renewable Energy: Evaluation of the World Bank Group's Support for Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Resources, 2000-2017 - Report to the Board from the Committee on Development Effectiveness - Meeting of September 16, 2020

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Levi

Report to the Board from the Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) summarizes the committee’s review of the World Bank Group evaluation on renewable energy support for electricity supply from 2000–2017. CODE highlights the evaluation’s timeliness and use in informing upcoming Board engagement on SDG-7 and notes Management’s agreement with recommendations. Members emphasize WBG’s role in integrating renewable sources into client power systems, speeding RE investments, addressing transmission and distribution bottlenecks, and advancing sector policy reforms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Committee meeting and evaluation review

Value for Board engagement and SDG-7 alignment

Role of the World Bank Group in integrating renewable energy

Investment acceleration and bottleneck mitigation

Long-term engagement, partnerships, and investor participation

Staff skills, knowledge management, and technology capacity building

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Renewable Energy: Evaluation of the World Bank Group's Support for Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Resources, 2000-2017 Report to the Board from the Committee on Development Effectiveness ∗ Meeting of September 16, 2020 The Committee on Development Effectiveness (CODE) (“the Committee”) met to consider thereport entitled Renewable Energy: Evaluation of the World Bank Group's Support for Electricity Supply from Renewable Energy Resources, 2000-2017 (CODE2020-0036) and Management’s Response (CODE2020-0043) . The Committee welcomed the evaluation, noting its timeliness and valuable insights to inform the upcoming Board engagement on SDG-7 and its complementarity to IEG’s series of evaluations on energy. They appreciated Management’s broad agreement with the evaluation’s recommendations and were pleased to learn that World Bank Group (WBG) is the single largest global contributor to Renewable Energy (RE) in developing countries. While acknowledging that the evaluation did not assess the most recent technological innovations and practices used by the WBG, members were encouraged to learn that the WBG has stepped up its engagements on solar power, wind and storage and the WBG has played a relevant convening and knowledge sharing role, including in supporting countries’ efforts to meet their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) targets. Members stressed the key role of the WBG to promote integration of RE sources into the power systems of client countries in order to facilitate progress in their clean energy transition. Some members encouraged Management to speed up investments in RE and focus on addressing the bottlenecks in transmission and distribution. Some underscored that this needed to be a demand-driven agenda and encouraged Management also to assist client countries in improving the effectiveness and efficiency of traditional sources of power generation, given that these sources continue to outpace the growth of renewable energy. On the recommendation to scale up resources and upgrade staff skills through comprehensive longterm country engagement with coordinated WBG solutions to address multiple barriers to RE scale-up, members referred to the need to reinforce partnerships and ensure early and continuous coordination across the WBG institutions and with other development agencies. Some highlighted that there was room to expand the role of institutional investors in climate change projects in client countries. Management underscored the importance of continuing to support sector policy reforms and building strong partnerships to help countries achieve their goals. Members highlighted that upgrading the pool of specialized staff was key to help client countries address rapidly evolving challenges in scaling up RE. They appreciated IFC’s efforts to recruit industry specialists and reinforce knowledge management to ensure dissemination of best practices, lessons learned, and expertise on RE. Members also appreciated the Bank’s efforts to focus on next generation technologies, policy and regulatory reforms and operational solutions to build capacity for RE integration, as well as the work with education specialists to create centers of excellence to build capacity in client countries. They were also pleased to learn about the upstream work being done by EFI and the Sustainable Development Practices to scale up and improve the macro fiscal framework in order to remove market distortions. ∗ This report is not an approved record.

FAQs

What evaluation did CODE review, and why was it considered timely?

CODE reviewed the evaluation on the World Bank Group’s support for electricity supply from renewable energy resources during 2000–2017. Members cited its timeliness and usefulness for upcoming Board engagement on SDG-7.

How did CODE describe the World Bank Group’s role in renewable energy transitions?

Members stressed that the World Bank Group is important for integrating renewable energy sources into client power systems, supporting clean energy transition progress, and acting in convening and knowledge-sharing roles.

What actions did CODE encourage to scale up renewable energy?

CODE encouraged scaling resources and upgrading staff skills through long-term country engagement with coordinated solutions, strengthening partnerships and early coordination, and accelerating investments while addressing transmission and distribution bottlenecks.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Levi