The SDG 7.a.1 uses a combination of two databases to account for international public financial flows. First, the OECD/DAC Creditor Reporting System (CRS) database from the OECD. Then the Renewable Energy Public Finance Database from IRENA.

The flows covered by IRENA are defined as all additional loans, grants and equity investments received by developing countries from all foreign governments, multilateral agencies and additional DFIs (including export credits, where available) for the purpose of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems. These additional flows cover the same technologies and other activities (research and development, technical assistance, renewable electricity distribution infrastructure, and so forth) as listed above and, to avoid duplication of data, exclude all flows extracted from the CRS.