The study is motivated by the global urgency to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy technologies, for example, green hydrogen, to achieve the 2030 and 2050 decarbonisation targets set by the Paris Agreement and the European Union. Despite the known decarbonisation potential of renewable energy, the development of these projects has been slow, with hydrogen projects facing significant barriers related to high costs, market uncertainty, and a lack of policy support. Through a combination of literature review, case studies, and empirical analysis, the research identifies these barriers and reveals the limitations of current project assessment tools that focus primarily on financial returns or carbon footprint reduction. This research presents the development of a novel framework, the True Value Framework (TVF), designed to assess renewable energy projects beyond traditional financial metrics by incorporating ecological and social impacts. This was necessitated by the systemic undervaluation of renewable energy projects under conventional metrics which fail to integrate planetary boundaries and social equity needs. Existing tools, while useful for narrow cost-benefit analyses, inadequately address the interconnected nature of the climate crisis – an identified gap the TVF bridges by grounding its design in Doughnut Economics, Circular Economy, and Degrowth principles. The TVF shifts the focus toward the broader value that renewable energy projects can offer, particularly in relation to planetary boundaries and contributions to local communities. It attempts to reconcile the tension between immediate financial gains and long-term socio-ecological viability by offering a counter narrative to growth centric energy transitions which ensures that projects are evaluated as part of a broader systemic shift rather than isolated market issues that requires market-based fixes. The framework is tested and validaded through case studies of wind hydrogen projects and community benefit funds. The findings demonstrate that prioritising decarbonisation and social benefits can lead to long-term economic returns, supporting a transition to a sustainable energy system. The TVF provides decision-makers with a high-level view of the true value of renewable energy projects, facilitating more informed investment and policy decisions that align with both environmental and social goals. This research contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a new methodology for assessing the value of renewable energy projects, ultimately aiming to support the large-scale adoption of these technologies in the context of global climate action.