Experts sound off on impacts of new US policies on energy industry: 'Overall, there was a

Experts sound off on impacts of new US policies on energy industry: ‘Overall, there was a

May 7, 2025

The shift in American politics may pose a bumpy ride for renewable energy, but the rhetoric isn’t putting a damper on the business opportunity, according to Semafor.

Private equity firm Qualitas Energy has seen the price of assets go down as President Donald Trump has cast a chill on the renewable energy market.

However, the business fundamentals of assets haven’t really changed. Qualitas sees this disparity as an opportunity for new green investment. In early 2024, it acquired North Carolina solar and storage company Heelstone.

“The U.S. is going to be a very relevant, meaningful market for us in the next few years,” Qualitas Energy CEO Oscar Perez told Semafor. “Overall, there was a feeling of potential. This was the perfect environment, we found.”

A big part of the shift in pricing for assets like Heelstone is that companies feel no need to maintain appearances in the new political climate and, thus, aren’t bidding on renewables like they used to. They can go back to pouring trillions of dollars into oil and gas. At least one report has remarked on the drop in clean tech investment, which would suggest a lowering in prices as well.

Brookfield Asset Management, Jefferies, and KKR are just some other investment bodies that have echoed Qualitas’ sentiment of opportunity found in those lower prices.

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Providing a return on investment is front and center for these organizations, but putting money into renewable energy also serves to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The more wind, solar, and hydroelectric power is fed into the grid, the less coal, oil, and gas need to be used. This reduces the pollution sent into the atmosphere, which traps heat and exacerbates extreme weather patterns.

Though you might hear less about big splashy investments in green tech, they’re still happening.

“You can dial up or down how vocal you are about what you’re doing,” David Linich, sustainability principal at consulting firm PwC, told Semafor. “And I think we’re seeing a period where a lot of companies are choosing to be less vocal about it, but aren’t on the whole backing off of what they’re doing.”