**Preface to "Economic and Social Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Energy Sector"**

Accepting the proposal to join the editorial process of this Special Edition was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on many sectors and areas of economic activity. One such area is the energy sector and the entire energy market. Here, you can see the concrete economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They can be observed and carefully evaluated. The effects of a pandemic can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, there have been changes in the energy companies themselves, including adaptation to the needs of consumers. On the other hand, the energy market is also undergoing changes on the demand side. Models of energy consumption and distribution have changed. This involved, e.g., people being forced to spend time at home or to work remotely. The nature of work in enterprises and trade has also changed. As a result, the energy balance has changed. All of these changes can also affect energy prices and how energy is distributed. The new situation could also contribute to faster development of work on alternative energy sources or the use of renewable energy. As a result of the pandemic, innovations were introduced in many industries, which also indirectly influenced the directions of changes in the energy market and in the energy sector. The attitude of society towards energy issues has also changed. In lockdown conditions, this resource has become crucial for people. In such difficult times, society appreciates innovations and changes that should be introduced with care for the natural environment, including saving energy resources.

The purpose of the Special Issue was to collect the results of research and experience on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in the energy sector and the energy market, broadly understood, that were visible after a year. In particular, the impact of COVID-19 on the energy sector in the EU, including Poland, and the US was examined. The topics concerned various issues, e.g., the situation of energy companies, including those listed on the stock exchange, mining companies, and those dealing with renewable energy. Topics related to the development of electromobility, managerial competences, energy expenditure of local government units, sustainable development of energy, and energy poverty during a pandemic were also discussed.

As guest editors of this Special Issue, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to MDPI and the *Energies* team for providing this extraordinary learning and development opportunity, and to the editorial team, especially Ms. Vicky Chen, for the continued support and attention. Such interactions are an excellent platform for scientific development, especially for young scientists, and we hope that readers will enjoy this research.

> **Tomasz Rokicki, Piotr B ´orawski, and Sebastian Saniuk** *Editors*
