The Energy Transition’s Sobering Present and Where to Go Next

Source: Elisa Wood | · ENERGY CHANGEMAKERS · | October 26, 2025

Grid decentralization should be the new model, given the need for power fast

The good thing about knowing where you are is that it makes it easier to figure out where to go.

No one doubts that the Trump administration’s policies reduced clean energy investment, but now we can more clearly pinpoint what that means thanks to a new analysis by E2, a non-profit organization that seeks policies that are good for the economy and the environment.

E2’s report looks at the highs and lows of the last three years — the projects announced after passage of the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 and those canceled after the new administration took office.

Where We Are

It’s not all bad, but bad enough for E2 to conclude that the US is “destabilizing one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries, with ripple effects across supply chains, manufacturing hubs, and rural economic development.”

In August 2022, energy developers and manufacturers announced 415 major projects across 42 states and Puerto Rico, representing $135 billion and 125,000 planned jobs.

But 42 projects were cancelled or scaled back since the beginning of this year, a $24 billion investment loss that killed 28,800 jobs. Electric vehicles and batteries took the biggest hit (and also represented the biggest expected investment in 2022).