The Impact of the Coronavirus on the Renewable Energy Industry

Scientists and experts around the globe agree that to mitigate the worst consequences of climate change, the world must transition to a 100 percent clean future powered by clean energy sources as soon as possible. Now, with the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the nation leading to a historic health and economic crisis, the renewable energy industry at the heart of this transition is suffering from the same uncertainty and impending job losses as many other sectors. Since taking office, President Donald Trump and his team have taken unprecedented steps to suppress the growth of the renewables industry: A Center for American Progress Action Fund analysis finds that the Trump administration’s policies have led to the loss or suppression of more than 600,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector. Notably, this analysis does not account for the significant disruptions that COVID-19 has and will cause in the industry—a risk that the administration has so far not taken seriously. In fact, rather than taking proactive measures to mitigate these disruptions to the renewable energy industry during the pandemic, President Trump has managed to instead prop up the fossil fuel industry at every turn.