Clean Energy Companies Shift Strategies Under Trump

Industry shifts under pressure

Clean energy is not disappearing in the Trump era, but it is changing shape.

Since returning to office, President Trump has dismantled federal efforts to fight climate change, vowed to halt new wind turbines and canceled billions of dollars in funding for technologies aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions. His administration has instead pushed to expand domestic oil and gas drilling.

Those policies have hit America’s clean energy industry hard, contributing to canceled offshore wind projects, shuttered electric-vehicle factories and layoffs at climate technology start-ups.

Companies look for ways to adapt

Even so, many executives in the sector say they are finding ways to adjust. Some technologies that could help slow global warming are still advancing despite the loss of broad federal backing.

Certain industries, including geothermal energy and nuclear power, continue to receive support from the Trump administration. Other start-ups focused on cutting emissions from factories are trying to survive without federal aid. Battery companies, meanwhile, are increasingly pitching themselves as part of the solution to rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence and data centers.

A search for investors and new markets

At CERAWeek, a major annual energy industry conference in Houston, more than 300 start-ups gathered this week to present ideas to investors and policymakers. Among the technologies on display were advanced batteries capable of storing power for multiple days and lower-emission jet fuel.

Geothermal energy has emerged as one of the greener technologies gaining momentum in the current environment, reflecting how companies are shifting toward sectors seen as more viable under current policy.

“We’ve just gone through an era of radical uncertainty” for clean energy, said Alex Kizer, an executive vice president at the Energy Futures Initiative, a Washington nonprofit. “And for a lot of companies, there are big questions on how they’ll evolve going forward.”