This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less, featuring John Engel and Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.
This week’s episode features Akshat Rathi from Bloomberg, who wrote about how President Trump’s new tariffs will affect the U.S. clean energy industry.
This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Charles Bolden, who leads SEIA’s energy and carbon portfolio. He previously helped lead an Energy and Commerce Committee round table on diversity in the energy industry. Charles also played a vital role in his industry lobbying days on Capitol Hill. Congratulations, Charles!
As U.S. electricity demand surges, community solar is emerging as a fast, cost-effective way to get more clean energy on the grid. Unlike large-scale projects that can take a decade to build, community solar can be deployed in 12–18 months, uses existing distribution infrastructure, and helps lower utility bills for renters and low-to-moderate-income households.
A new analysis by the Coalition for Community Solar Access estimates the sector could unlock over $120 billion in economic activity, support 18,000 jobs per gigawatt, and provide major grid resilience benefits that put off costly reconductoring.
Peter Liese, a senior lawmaker in the European Parliament’s largest party, said the EU’s goal of slashing carbon pollution by 90% by 2040 is overly ambitious and could trigger deindustrialization.
The European Commission is considering softening the target to address concerns about costs for businesses and to gain support from skeptical lawmakers and governments. Liese’s European People’s Party will play a role in shaping and approving the final 2040 climate goal.
On Tuesday, Trump signed four executive orders aimed at reviving the US coal industry, citing the need to help meet growing electricity demand from AI data centers. He wants to use emergency powers to open public lands for coal leasing and have Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reclassify coal as a “mineral” to fast-track permitting. The DOE’s Loan Programs Office would offer up to $200 billion for energy infrastructure, including coal, through a program originally created under the Inflation Reduction Act.
The Energy Department plans to carry out DOGE cuts to the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which helps fund hydrogen, carbon capture, industrial decarbonization, advanced nuclear, energy storage, and projects in rural and remote communities.
The DOE is considering keeping about $10 billion in projects and moving them to other departments, and canceling or rescoping up to $9 billion worth of projects.
The DOE is reviewing every corner of the department, with plans to cut thousands of so-called “nonessential” positions. As of right now, no final decision has been made.
Trump’s new tariffs are shaking up markets and could make clean energy more expensive, especially batteries that depend on parts from China. While sectors like solar and onshore wind may avoid the worst thanks to existing stockpiles and domestic supply chains, the broader energy transition could slow just as climate action becomes more urgent. Cleantech is used to trade barriers, but this could still make a negative impact.
