While 2025 has brought significant headwinds for renewable energy in the United States, renewables are making large gains, especially globally. In 2025, for the first time ever solar and wind overtook coal in the global energy mix (Ember). And, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, renewable energy reached nearly 25% of U.S. power generation in June, up from 18% last year.
Demand for large solar installations is expected to continue to grow in the U.S., even with the tax credit phaseouts. Developers are planning to accelerate buildout through 2027 to capture credits before deadlines, pushing near-term capacity growth (Princeton Repeat Project). At the same time, global deployment will continue to expand, with China, India, and Europe maintaining supportive policies and regulatory environments (IEA Renewables).
With the overall rise in demand for electricity, we believe significant opportunity still exists for the renewables sector, as well as for clean firm power sources such as nuclear and geothermal. We’ve curated a handful of articles to explain what’s happening in the U.S. and globally, including what is changing with the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB).
Curated Resources
- Global Mid-Year Energy Insights, Ember
- The U.S. Keeps Breaking Renewable Energy Records, LA Times and Bloomberg
- Renewable Energy is Booming Despite Trump’s Effort to Slow It, NY Times (subscription required)
- Bright Spots and Sunsets in the OBBB, CTVC by Sightline
- What’s Not Going Away: Energy Incentives that survived the OBBB, Wipfli
Although we have lost many of the carrots associated with the IRA, it’s not all bad news. Structural market drivers, including the rapid growth of data centers, the reshoring of U.S. supply chains, and corporate sustainability commitments, will buttress long-term demand for proven, low-cost clean energy sources (SunStripe), and the expansion of clean firm power solutions like SMR’s (small modular reactors).