With COVID-19 economic slowdowns, and the resulting drop in demand for oil, gas and electricity, the outlook for traditional energy sector growth and capital investment is dim, if not outright grim. But even with cratered oil and gas prices, renewable energy is emerging as a sector on the move.

“This is a magnitude unlike anything we’ve planned around,” says Deepa Poduval, senior managing director and associate vice president of Black & Veatch’s management consulting business who specializes in the oil, gas and utility sector. “We always talk about oil and gas and the multiple cycles that the industry goes through. This is different than that.”