If 2025 was the year of turbulence, 2026 is shaping up to be one of stabilization. The past year brought big shifts, with a new administration constantly pulling economic levers and an artificial intelligence (AI)–driven boom reverberating through the power sector. The energy transition felt every tremor, but it held firm.
Despite volatility, wind and solar drew $35 billion of investment in the first half of 2025 in the United States, and clean energy still made up 93 percent of new power capacity through September 2025, adding more than 30 gigawatts to the grid, according to a renewable-energy outlook paper from Deloitte. Now, investors are looking past 2025’s chaos. They have clearer sight lines, and that clarity is likely to drive key trends in 2026.
POLICY CLARITY
Investors seek predictability. The big wild cards in 2025 were tax credit uncertainty under the Inflation Reduction Act and shifting tariff policies. Heading into 2026, however
