Tian Jinfang, Yu Longguang, Xue Rui, Zhuang Shan, Shan Yuli
School of Statistics, Shandong University of Finance and Economics, No.7366 East Erhuan Road, 250014 Jinan, Shandong, China.
Centre for Corporate Sustainability and Environmental Finance, Department of Applied Finance, Macquarie University, 4 Eastern Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia.
Appl Energy. 2022 Feb 1;307:118205. doi: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.118205. Epub 2021 Nov 24.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created significant challenges for energy transition. Concerns about the overwhelming emphasis on economic recovery at the cost of energy transition progress have been raised worldwide. More voices are calling for "green" recovery scheme, which recovers the economy while not compromising on the environment. However, limited academic attention has been paid to comprehensively investigating the implications of COVID-19 for global energy transition. This study thus provides a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics between energy transition and COVID-19 around the world and proposes a low-carbon energy transition roadmap in the post-pandemic era. Using energy data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), we first summarized and reviewed the progress of energy transition prior to COVID-19. Building on prior progress, we identified the challenges for energy transition during the pandemic from the perspectives of government support, fossil fuel divestment, renewable energy production capacity, global supply chain, and energy poverty. However, the pandemic also generates opportunities for global energy transition. We hence also identified potential opportunities for energy transition presented by the pandemic from the perspectives of price competitiveness, policy implementation efficiency, and renewable energy strengths. We further provided an in-depth discussion on the impact of current worldwide economic recovery stimulus on energy transition. Based on the identified challenges and opportunities, we proposed the post-pandemic energy transition roadmap in terms of broadening green financing instruments, strengthening international cooperation, and enhancing green recovery plans. Our study sheds light on a global low-carbon energy transition framework and has practical implications for green recovery schemes in post-pandemic times.
新冠疫情给能源转型带来了重大挑战。全球范围内都有人担心，过度强调经济复苏会以牺牲能源转型进展为代价。越来越多的声音呼吁实施“绿色”复苏计划，即在不损害环境的前提下恢复经济。然而，学术界对全面调查新冠疫情对全球能源转型的影响关注有限。因此，本研究全面分析了全球能源转型与新冠疫情之间的动态关系，并提出了疫情后时代的低碳能源转型路线图。我们利用国际能源署（IEA）的能源数据，首先总结并回顾了新冠疫情之前能源转型的进展情况。基于先前的进展，我们从政府支持、化石燃料撤资、可再生能源生产能力、全球供应链和能源贫困等角度，确定了疫情期间能源转型面临的挑战。然而，疫情也为全球能源转型带来了机遇。因此，我们还从价格竞争力、政策实施效率和可再生能源优势等角度，确定了疫情带来的能源转型潜在机遇。我们进一步深入讨论了当前全球经济复苏刺激措施对能源转型的影响。基于已确定的挑战和机遇，我们从拓宽绿色融资工具、加强国际合作和强化绿色复苏计划等方面，提出了疫情后的能源转型路线图。我们的研究揭示了一个全球低碳能源转型框架，对疫情后时代的绿色复苏计划具有实际意义。
