An updated edition of the July 25, 2025 article.
The use of renewable energy continues to rise globally as efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions intensify. Key drivers behind its growing popularity include lower production costs, supportive government policies and increasing demand across power and transportation markets.
Out of several forms of alternative energy, wind power stands at the forefront of the global transition toward renewables, a critical theme in combating climate change. In recent years, wind energy has emerged as one of the largest renewable sources of electricity generation in the United States.
The wind energy market is capitalizing on several favorable trends, including growing electricity demand driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered data centers, widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and rapid industrialization. Apart from these, the wind energy market is also expected to benefit, supported by the US Inflation Reduction Act policy, which includes major long-term provisions for cutting carbon emissions.
Per the latest Short-Term Energy Outlook published by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the wind power output is projected to increase approximately 4% year over year in 2025. Notably, the EIA report suggests that the U.S. grid will likely add 7.7 GW of wind generation capacity in 2025, reflecting an increase from 5.1 GW added last year.
There have been ongoing expansionary efforts in the U.S. wind power capacity, supported by large offshore wind projects, including the 800-megawatt (MW) Vineyard Wind 1 in Massachusetts and the 715-MW Revolution Wind in Rhode Island. Several states, including Texas and Massachusetts, will likely see significant wind power capacity additions in the coming years.
As the wind energy sector gains traction with greater flexibility and scalability, it has emerged as an attractive theme for investors seeking to invest in high-potential stocks. This has made wind energy companies like NextEra Energy, Inc. NEE, Constellation Energy Corporation CEG, OGE Energy Corp. OGE and Arcosa, Inc. ACA worth considering for any investment portfolio. Our Wind Energy Screen helps identify stocks with high growth potential in this dynamic sector.
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4 Wind Energy Stocks to Keep an Eye On
NextEra Energy is a public utility holding company engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electric energy. The Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company’s competitive energy business, NextEra Energy Resources LLC (“NEER”), is the leading generator of wind energy globally, based on MWh produced on a net generation basis.
In 2024, NEER successfully expanded its new wind generating capacity by 1,365 MW and also added 755 MW of battery storage capacity, thereby increasing its backlog of contracted renewable development projects. As of 2024-end, the business operated wind facilities in 23 U.S. states and four provinces in Canada, carrying a total generating capacity of approximately 26,335 MW.
To further expand its renewable portfolio, NEER plans to add a significant clean power generation asset across the United States over the 2024–2027 time period. In second-quarter 2025, NEER had nearly 3.2 GW of renewable projects in the existing backlog.
OGE Energy is the largest electric utility in Oklahoma. The company has been investing steadily to expand its renewable generation assets. As of Dec. 31, 2024, it owned the 120 megawatts (MW) Centennial, 101 MW OU Spirit and 228 MW Crossroads wind farms.
This Zacks Rank #2 company offers the Renewable Energy Credit purchase program, the Green Power Wind Rider and the Utility Solar Program, which are rate options that make renewable energy resources available as a voluntary option to all OG&E (wholly-owned subsidiary of OGE Energy) Oklahoma retail customers. OG&E focuses on deploying more renewable energy sources that do not emit greenhouse gases. Such initiatives are expected to further boost OGE Energy’s renewable energy portfolio.
As part of its clean energy strategy, the company has also been focused on reducing its carbon emission load. For instance, OG&E's current business strategy has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by more than 60% compared with the 2005 level. Emissions of ozone-forming nitrogen oxides have been reduced by approximately 80% and emissions of sulfur dioxide by around 95%.
Arcosa is a leading manufacturer of infrastructure-related products and services that serve the energy, construction and transportation markets. The company’s Engineered Structures business provides wind towers, utility structures and telecommunication structures for wind power generation, electricity transmission and distribution, and wireless communication markets.
This Zacks Rank #2 company’s Engineered Structures business continues to benefit from strong demand for its wind towers and engineered structures. Robust orders for its utility structures, driven by increasing grid hardening and reliability initiatives, have been driving its performance. Revenues from the Engineered Structures segment increased 6.6% year over year in second-quarter 2025. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act has been a significant growth catalyst for ACA’s wind tower business. Since the passage of the act, Arcosa has grabbed $1.1 billion worth of new orders through 2028. A significant portion of these orders will cater to the wind energy expansion projects in the Southwest.
In order to execute the robust growth in new orders and a strong backlog level, Arcosa opened a new plant in New Mexico and started delivering towers from the facility in second-quarter 2024. The company remains well-placed to benefit from the growing requirement for load enhancements in the United States.
Constellation Energy is a well-recognised provider of electric power, natural gas and energy management services to 2 million customers across continental United States. CEG operates 27 wind projects across 10 states that are capable of producing about 1,400 MW of electricity, of which about 750 MW are Constellation-owned.
This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company is launching a $350 million initiative to increase the output and lifespan of its portfolio of renewable energy sources by enhancing efficiency, increasing output and extending the life of its Criterion wind project in Oakland, MD, by 20 years. This action will deliver more carbon-free electricity to the area.
Constellation Energy's repowering initiatives will allow 315 MW of its current carbon-free wind fleet to produce more power at similar wind environments during the life of this fleetwide operation. CEG produced 182 terawatt-hours of zero-emissions electricity during 2024, enough to power 16 million homes and avoid more than 122 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
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NextEra Energy, Inc. (NEE): Free Stock Analysis Report Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG): Free Stock Analysis Report OGE Energy Corporation (OGE): Free Stock Analysis Report Arcosa, Inc. (ACA): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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