Clean Energy’s Future Remains Bright Even Without Energy Subsidies

With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) and President Trump’s Executive Order restricting the use of renewable tax credits, most reports and commentary have postulated that recent actions have cast a dark cloud over the future of clean energy in America. But the future of economically viable clean energy remains bright. With electricity demand growing, market needs will expand opportunities for a wide range of energy sources and technologies. Projects that are not reliant on taxpayers but meet the needs of consumers will drive an affordable, dependable, and cleaner energy economy.

 A Familiar Energy Subsidy Debate 

If the conversation around energy tax credits feels like the movie Groundhog Day, it’s because we’ve been here before. Take, for instance, the historical reminder from Greentech Media’s reporting about the conversation over energy tax extenders a decade ago: “Part of the renewables industry’s pitch as it sought and ultimately secured a multiyear extension of the wind [Production Tax Credit] PTC and solar [Investment Tax Credit] ITC in 2015 was that a phase-down would help usher in a post-subsidy era.” Once political favoritism is in place, however, it becomes difficult to transition to the post-subsidy era, even when projects no longer require support.