Solar power rises above policy, weather headwinds in the US and UK

STONINGTON, United States / WEST SUSSEX, United Kingdom: In the American state of Connecticut, one farmer is betting big on solar energy to diversify his income.

Eric Taylor is leasing a portion of his land to a solar operator, with construction set to finish early next year. He envisions the panels coexisting with his livestock, generating both clean energy and revenue.

“We need energy in this country and whether it’s subsidised or not, it’s all going to have an impact on the environment,” he noted.

“I think solar, at this point in time, is one of the lower-impact ways to go.”

From Connecticut’s farmlands to the beaches of West Sussex on the other side of the Atlantic, solar innovators are finding ways to adapt to changing markets and technologies.

Despite political and logistical hurdles, the industry continues to thrive in both the United States and the United Kingdom — driven by rising energy demand and falling technology costs.

DEFYING TRUMP’S CUTBACKS

Since US President Donald Trump returned to office in January, his administration’s energy policies have cast dark clouds over the country’s renewable energy industry.

The US is not participating in this year’s United Nations’ Climate Change Conference (COP30), and Trump has continued to slam green energy initiatives, recently dismissing climate change as a “con job”.

The One Big Beautiful Bill legislation – passed in July – did away with federal subsidies that had nurtured the solar and wind power sector for decades.

But many solar projects are defying the cutbacks.

The Energy Information Administration – a principal agency of the US Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analysing and disseminating energy information – expects solar to supply the largest share of predicted US power demand increases in 2025 and 2026.