Social Projects for Implementation of Photovoltaic Solar Energy in Low-Income Communities: Monitoring and Evaluation Model Based on the Theory of Change and Logical Framework

The rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs), particularly photovoltaic (PV) solar energy, presents innovative opportunities for enhancing energy equity in low-income communities. This study introduces a conceptual monitoring and evaluation model rooted in the Theory of Change (ToC) and Logical Framework (LF), specifically designed for social projects focused on deploying PV energy. Through an extensive literature review and an empirical application in a social initiative for the implementation of solar photovoltaic energy in two low-income communities in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the model incorporates key indicators and metrics related to the expected outputs, outcomes, and impact s of this initiative. The findings reveal the model's effectiveness in identifying improvement opportunities, optimizing management systems, and ensuring alignment with broader socioeconomic and environmental goals. Stakeholder engagement emerged as a critical component, enabling the adaptation of the ToC/LF framework to the unique sociocultural contexts of the targeted communities. This study advances energy justice by providing a replicable framework to evaluate the impact and sustainability of similar initiatives.