Trump’s New Order Slams Brakes on Solar Industry Progress

The U.S. solar sector just took another hit, and climate-conscious Americans are paying attention. According to a report by Mark Chediak for Bloomberg, shares of leading solar companies like Sunrun, Nextracker, and First Solar dropped sharply after President Donald Trump issued a new executive order targeting renewable energy tax credits.

This move comes hot on the heels of a $3.4 trillion budget bill passed on July 4th, which already dialed back incentives for solar and wind. Trump’s order, issued Monday night, tells the Treasury Department to tighten the rules around what qualifies as having “started construction”—a key factor for qualifying for tax credits. Projects that haven’t already physically built a “substantial portion” could lose out.

The change sent Sunrun shares plunging by 13%, while First Solar and Nextracker also fell by over 5%. AES Corp, involved in broader clean energy, dropped more than 19%. This instability could ripple across the industry. As Keith Martin of Norton Rose Fulbright put it, trying to do solar business in this climate “is like trying to do business while bouncing up and down on a trampoline.”

Trump’s order doesn’t stop at red tape. It also demands that the Department of the Interior eliminate regulations that favor wind and solar, and puts pressure on any project with links to “foreign entities of concern”—a thinly veiled swipe at China.

As climate deadlines loom and emissions surge, this political maneuvering is dangerous. Slashing Support for clean energy means more fossil fuels, more Pollution, and less time to turn the tide.

Now’s the time to double down on renewables, not derail them. Keep supporting clean energy, vote for climate-forward leaders, and demand a future built on wind, sun, and justice—not oil and politics.

Video Source: Reuters/Youtube

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