COVID-19’s effects have caused global supply chains to buckle and break. Of the many sectors affected, one is particularly worrying — low-carbon energy. Closed borders, silent factories and shortages of components are slowing the deployment of wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles worldwide, with little time left to avert dangerous climate change.
I think a vaccine will arrive in time to keep this industry out of severe trouble. Other industries such as restaurants, tourism and airlines were smashed up in the first weeks of the pandemic, and they are still in terrible shape. Much worse than wind turbines. It took longer for the problems to reach wind turbines, and they will be among the first to recover.
I don't mean to downplay or dismiss pandemic related problems in the wind turbine business.
Many restaurants and some cruise ship companies may never recover. Major U.S. retailers such as Lord & Taylor's have gone out of business. Retailers and shopping malls were in trouble before the pandemic. Apparently it pushed them over the edge. It sped-up other changes that were happening gradually, such as increased telecommuting and business meetings held by Zoom instead of flying to cities. The airlines' income from business meeting travel may never fully recover.