The clean energy industry in the United States is booming despite the Trump administration's dogged efforts to slow its momentum.
Fast Company reported on the continued momentum for solar and wind power as well as battery storage through an assortment of political challenges and obstacles. In 2026, as happened in 2025, it is expected that nearly all new generating capacity to the grid will come from those sources, per the Energy Information Administration.
It's not from a lack of effort by President Donald Trump and Co. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act phased out renewable energy tax credits. Before and after, Trump targeted clean energy projects with a specific disdain for offshore wind.
Clean energy advocates and states have rallied against canceled projects and funding. They've scored victories in court that have allowed projects such as one in Connecticut and Rhode Island to go on. Still, small companies have suffered in the uncertain environment and large projects have been canceled.
Other factors are hiking demand for clean energy. The rise of data centers has led to a surge in interest in wind and solar projects, according to Jim Spencer, the president and CEO of Exus Renewables North America.
"As much as we can deliver, they're buying it," Spencer told Fast Company.
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Adding urgency to the equation is the canceled tax credit for solar and wind projects, which doesn't disappear until July. Exus and other companies are rushing to meet that deadline and getting creative to make sure projects are underway.
That's boosting clean energy projects, though it's unclear how it will shake out in the long term. Spencer said companies are taking a hard look at how to manage the end of incentives. There's also the chance there will be changes after elections in 2026 and 2028.
The environmental benefits of the transition to clean energy are clear. Unlike energy sources such as oil, coal, and gas, solar and wind farms generate electricity without polluting Earth with harmful gases. As the U.S. experiences record heat and increasingly severe weather, the transition is important to slowing these destructive changes.
It's also critical as energy prices surge to use every tool available to generate more energy. Spencer implored the administration to change course.
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"They have the ability to enable, rather than restrict, addition of new supply to the grid, which would reduce prices and improve customers' lives," he concluded.
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