"We have been building renewables first, not just because it's clean power but because it's fastest," said Brian Callaway, CFO of developer Copia Power. “What keeps me up at night are timelines for transmission. They are taking too long and will continue to be a problem. Digital demand is real. Even if comes down a bit, demand is there." Claudia Correa Welch, /managing director of Bank of America, noted: "I'm not concerned about availability of capital, That's not the primary constraint. New sources of capital are coming into the sector. The challenge is the ability to execute. Things are happening very fast. How fast can you build is really the question."

Federal tax credit use grew 10% in 2025 over 2024, to $45-$50 billion. “Investment now is 70% in non-generation areas, much changed [from recent years],” said Christopher Wilfong, an S&P Global director. Of 36 U.S. and multinational finance  leaders surveyed by ACORE who invested more than $1 billion in domestic clean energy in 2025, 69% plan to increase their investments in 2026. Of project sponsors also surveyed, 83% will maintain or boost development this year, and none with $100 million or more in revenue will reduce it. Notably, no ACORE-surveyed investors said they will consider coal power spending in the near term, despite major administration incentives and lobbying.

Meanwhile, corporate commitments for clean energy reached a new milestone in 2025 and remain strong in the first months of 2026, said the Corporate Energy Buyers Association, which has about 300 members, in its 2026 State of the Market report. It said corporate buyers announced more than 27 GW of U.S. clean energy capacity procured in 2025 and some 17 GW procured in the first quarter of 2026.

Federal tax credits requiring wind and solar projects to begin construction by July 4 and start operating by the end of 2027 are key incentives to advance work now. But vague federal rules on whether project components or investment can be sourced from countries “of concern,” such as China and Russia, could keep more renewable sector developers from claiming these incentives,

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aid ACORE: "Surveyed investors explicitly named federal regulatory policy shifts and interconnection delays as their greatest roadblocks Industry leaders collectively emphasized that long-term deployment hinges entirely on Congress delivering stable, durable policy certainty."

Also, administration delays in approving roughly 80 projects, mostly wind power on military sites and elsewhere, have taken wind off investors’ top ten most attractive markets, the ACORE reports concluded. A Massachusetts court last month ordered the Trump administration to stop blocking 57 GW of clean energy projects, but it is expected to appeal the ruling.The conrinued government effort to derail the sector is expected to hinder progress of congressional negotiations on project permit reform, another market incentive investors want to see.

"I am having pipeline discussions all the time with lenders. Solar and battery storage projects will continue to be competitive," Kevin Smyth, CEO of developer-operator Cypress Creek Renewables, told attendees. "If you think gas will bail out the whole industry, it won't happen. There is a huge role for battery storage ahead. The next 24 months will be pretty dynamic."

As ENR Editor-at-Large for Energy, Business and Workforce, Debra K. Rubin has a broad vantage for news, issues and trends in global engineering and construction related to key areas of global energy development and transition, corporate business and management, regulation and risk and next-generation workforce development.

Debra also launched and manages ENR's Top 200 Environmental Firms annual ranking, which defines key players in the dynamic global market for environmental services; and is editor of ENR WorkforceToday e-newsletter on industry talent management news and trends. Click here to receive this free monthly newsletter.

She also is a key organizer of ENR's annual Groundbreaking Women in Construction conference, a major AEC industry forum for talent management and women's career advancement. Click here for more detail on plans in formation for the next live event.