<scp>COVID</scp>‐19: A Cloud with a Silver Lining for Renewable Energy?
Madhu Khanna
Abstract
COVID-19 has led to an unprecedented reduction in demand for energy for transportation and electricity, a crash in prices and employment in the fossil fuel industries and record-breaking reductions in global carbon emissions. This paper discusses whether this "demand destruction" could spell the beginning of the end for fossil fuels or a temporary recession and the imperative to recover from the current crisis by "building back better" and not the same as before. There are encouraging signs for the renewable energy industry that could make COVID-19 a cloud with a silver lining; whether this is the case will depend not only on the technological realities and social response to the crisis but also on political will and foresight.
Topics & Concepts
Renewable energyFossil fuelCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)BoomSpellCrashNatural resource economicsFutures studiesCoalEconomicsBusinessEngineeringWaste managementEnvironmental engineeringAnthropologyInfectious disease (medical specialty)Programming languageElectrical engineeringMedicineComputer scienceSociologyDiseaseArtificial intelligencePathologyCOVID-19 impact on air qualityEnergy and Environment ImpactsEnergy, Environment, and Transportation Policies