RISE is a set of indicators to help compare national policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable energy. It assesses countries’ policy and regulatory support for each of the four pillars of sustainable energy—access to electricity (for 56 access-deficit countries), access to clean cooking (for 57 access-deficit countries), energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Because policies and regulations matter when countries are seeking to attract investment in sustainable energy, and because it covers 140 countries representing over 98 percent of the world population, RISE provides a reference point to help policymakers benchmark their sector policy and regulatory framework against those of regional and global peers, and a powerful tool to help develop policies and regulations that advance sustainable energy goals.

Each indicator targets an element of the policy or regulatory regime important to mobilizing investment, such as establishing planning processes and institutions, introducing dedicated incentives or support programs, and ensuring financially sound utilities. Together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the strength and breadth of government support for sustainable energy and the actions they have taken to turn that support into reality.

Beyond helping national policymakers benchmark the energy sector framework against regional and global peers, RISE is also a valuable source of information to private investors and developers of sustainable energy projects, products, and services that ultimately make the decision on where to invest. Every new edition of RISE also allows users to assess the historical implementation of policies covered by the present questionnaire dating back to 2010 to track changes in policies over time. This “time stamp” element of RISE provides a valuable means for policymakers, researchers and private sector actors to monitor progress in specific countries and analyze potential causal or corollary relationships between reforms and results.

RISE classifies countries into a green zone of strong performers in the top third of the 0-100 score range, a yellow zone of middle third performers, and a red zone of weaker performers in the bottom third.