The purposefulness and serviceability of renewable energy support schemes in view of the COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought tragic consequences for human life and has dramatically affected the whole range of human activity. Energy markets is not an exception. In spite of the crisis, renewable energy projects have managed to remain profitable and the share of energy from renewable sources has risen, especially in electricity. Given the above, there have been expectations that a side-effect of the pandemic may be a solid boost for the energy transition. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the EU legislature had emphasised the need for financial instruments to support the deployment of renewable energy sources. Accordingly, the questions with which this contribution deals are a) whether the enactment of support schemes for renewable energy sources retains its purposefulness in the landscape emerged after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and, b) if yes, how the supranational legal framework should change to ensure the serviceability of these support schemes.