This white paper demonstrates that a coordinated effort to take a people‐centred approach to retrofitting and solarizing public buildings can bring national wellbeing, humanitarian and economic gains. The findings and recommendations are the culmination of a series of inter-ministry discussions and practical research between 2018 and 2021 which took place as part of the Renewable Energy for Refugees (RE4R) project. It finds that Jordan can and should move beyond donor-funded energy strategies in this area, towards a system that allows the private sector and other local and national partnerships to scale up implementation. To do this, it is important to take account of past experience and lessons learned from development and humanitarian initiatives in this space.