3 Alternative Energy Stocks to Watch Amid Near-Term Challenges

Core Insights - The outlook for wind energy installations is strong, supporting alternative energy stocks, but rising turbine costs and U.S. tariffs may hinder momentum [1] - Accelerating transportation electrification is expected to drive significant growth in the U.S. electric vehicle market, benefiting clean energy stocks [1] Industry Overview - The Zacks Alternative Energy-Other industry consists of companies involved in generating and distributing alternative energy and those engaged in developing renewable projects [2] - Renewable energy investments reached a record $386 billion in the first half of 2025, marking a 10% year-over-year increase [2] Trends Impacting the Industry - Wind energy is rapidly growing due to favorable policies and technological advancements, with global wind capacity projected to reach 196.5 GW by 2030 [3] - The U.S. EV market is experiencing a surge, with sales hitting an all-time high of 438,487 EVs in Q3 2025, a 40.7% increase sequentially [4] Cost Challenges - Rising installation costs, driven by higher steel prices and U.S. tariffs, are significant hurdles for clean energy developers [5] - A 50% decrease in turbine orders in H1 2025 compared to the previous year highlights the impact of tariffs and policy uncertainty [6] Industry Performance - The Zacks Alternative Energy industry ranks 142, placing it in the bottom 41% of over 243 Zacks industries, indicating a negative earnings outlook [7][9] - The industry has outperformed the Zacks Oil-Energy sector and the S&P 500, with a 32% increase over the past year compared to 2.1% and 15.7% respectively [11] Valuation Metrics - The industry is currently trading at a trailing 12-month EV/EBITDA ratio of 21.93X, higher than the S&P 500's 18.31X [14] Notable Companies - FuelCell Energy: Reported a loss of 95 cents per share, improving 45% year-over-year, with a 97% increase in revenue to $46.74 million [17] - OPAL Fuels: Produced nearly 1.3 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas, a 30% increase year-over-year [20] - Bloom Energy: Reported earnings of 15 cents per share, with a 57.3% increase in revenue to $519 million [23]