Clean Energy Booms Despite Policy Headwinds in 2025

America's clean energy revolution isn't slowing down, even when the government tries to pump the brakes.

In 2025, nearly all new power added to the U.S. grid came from solar, wind, and batteries. September saw solar account for 98% of new capacity. The Energy Department projects that every bit of new power in 2026 will come from renewables and batteries.

This growth happened despite a year of policy battles. The administration paused wind permits, ended the Solar for All program for low-income homes, and phased out a major tax credit for clean energy projects. A Nevada solar project big enough to power two million homes got cancelled after permits froze on public lands.

Offshore wind farms faced the most direct hits. Revolution Wind, an almost-complete project off Rhode Island, received three separate stop-work orders. Each time, courts issued injunctions allowing work to continue, but the legal ping-pong created chaos for developers.

The uncertainty hurt smaller companies hardest. Financing dried up, forcing some to close. About 117 gigawatts of solar and battery projects now face delays, enough to power nearly 100 million homes.

But here's what federal policy couldn't stop: customer demand.

"As much as we can deliver, they're buying it," says Jim Spencer, CEO of Exus Renewables North America. His company just secured $400 million in financing, $150 million more than expected. Data centers hungry for power are signing contracts as fast as renewable companies can build.

The Bright Side

The market fundamentals for clean energy remain rock solid. Tech companies need massive amounts of reliable power for artificial intelligence and cloud computing. Solar and wind deliver that power at costs fossil fuels can't match anymore.

States have also stepped up where federal policy stepped back. Developers won lawsuits protecting their projects. Local governments kept approving permits. The momentum built over the past decade proved too strong to reverse with policy changes alone.

This year proved that clean energy growth now runs on economics, not just government support.