An updated edition of the Aug. 1, 2025, article.
Soaring clean electricity demand from sectors like transportation, rapid AI-driven data center growth, and declining installation costs for solar and wind technologies are fueling a significant surge in the global renewable energy industry. However, the intermittent nature of renewables creates a critical need for energy storage to ensure grid stability. Energy storage systems, especially batteries, capture excess power during peak generation and release it during high demand, maintaining a continuous energy supply. Driven by declining battery costs, government incentives, and rising volume of renewable projects, the energy storage market has also become an essential component of modern energy infrastructure worldwide, alongside renewable energy.
To this end, it is imperative to mention that as per a report published by the global energy think tank, Ember, in April 2025, clean power surpassed 40% of global electricity generation in 2024, driven by record growth in renewable. This renewable energy growth was duly aided by corresponding advances in energy storage capacity, with global stationary energy storage installations surging 40% to a record 170 GWh in 2024, as mentioned in a BloombergNEF (“BNEF”) report.
Consequently, utility providers like DTE Energy (DTE) and Ameren Corp. (AEE) are capitalizing on these growth opportunities through the rapid expansion of their renewable generation portfolio. On the other hand, core clean-energy stocks like Sunrun (RUN), offering solar panel and battery storage products, already enjoy a strong position in a clean energy investor’s portfolio.
Looking ahead, as per its New Energy Outlook 2025 Report published in April 2025, BNEF expects global power generation from renewables to rise 84% over the next five years (by 2030), and then double again by 2050. In support of this massive renewable energy capacity expansion, BNEF expects global energy storage additions to grow 35% this year. Such solid projections naturally boost growth opportunities for those who have invested in or intend to invest in the renewable energy and battery storage space.
In addition to demand, strong policy support, fiscal incentives, net-zero commitments, and declining solar/wind installation costs are boosting the competitiveness of clean energy firms. These factors collectively enable sustainable long-term value creation in the global energy transition.
Ready to uncover more transformative thematic investment ideas? Explore 36 cutting-edge investment themes with Zacks Thematic Investing Screens and discover your next big opportunity.
3 Renewable Energy & Battery Storage Stocks to Watch
Sunrun is America's leading provider of home battery storage and solar systems, offered primarily through its no-upfront-cost subscription model. The company claims to operate the largest fleet of residential solar energy systems in the United States, as of June 30, 2025, with a Networked Solar Energy Capacity of 7,949 megawatts (MW).
Its subscriber additions increased 15% year over year in the second quarter of 2025, with its net subscriber value having expanded 182%, driven by a record-high storage Attachment Rate of 70%.
Looking ahead, Sunrun expects to have more than 10 GWh of dispatchable capacity online by 2029 and an aggregate subscriber value of $5.7-$6 billion by 2025-end. These trends underscore Sunrun’s steadily expanding footprint in the solar market. Per the Zacks Consensus Estimate, this Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) company’s sales are projected to witness a rise of 11.2% and 11.4% in 2025 and 2026, respectively.
DTE Energy, a leading electricity provider in Michigan, has been steadily investing in renewable generation assets to maintain its position as the state’s largest producer and investor in renewable energy.
To this end, it is imperative to mention that, during the second quarter of 2025, the company completed construction of its 80 MW Pine River Solar Park and 100 MW Polaris Solar Park. Resultantly, as of June 30, 2025, DTE Electric brought 2,500 megawatts (MW) of renewable generation in service.
Looking ahead, the company aims to invest $10 billion in clean energy generation over the next 10 years. Through this solid investment, DTE Energy aims to add 900 MW of renewables per year on average over the next five years. It also plans to accelerate the development of energy storage, targeting to have more than 2,900 MW of energy storage by 2042.
Such a development pipeline reflects this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s long-term vision of delivering reliable, affordable and clean energy to its customers. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DTE’s 2025 and 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 15.5% and 3.9%, respectively. The stock boasts a long-term (three-to-five years) earnings growth rate of 7%.
Ameren, a well-known utility provider in the United States, invests steadily to offer electricity through cleaner and more diverse sources of energy generation, such as solar, wind, natural gas, hydro and nuclear power. To this end, it is imperative to mention that in July 2025, Ameren Illinois broke ground on its 2.5 megawatt MW solar energy facility in Peoria.
Looking ahead, the company targets to expand its renewable portfolio by adding 3,200 MWs of renewable generation (including 400 MWs of solar generation projects) by 2030 and an additional 1,500 MWs by 2035. It also aims to add 1,000 MWs of battery storage (including the 400-MW Big Hollow Battery Energy Storage Project) by the end of 2030 and an additional 800 MWs by 2042.
To facilitate its renewable expansion, in June, the company submitted a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity request for the Big Hollow Energy Center, a proposed project comprising a 400-megawatt battery energy storage system, which will be built on the site of its retired Rush Island Energy Center and is expected to begin serving customers in 2028.
Such a development pipeline should further strengthen this Zacks Rank #3 stock’s footprint in the renewable energy and battery storage space, amid the growth trends.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEE’s 2025 and 2026 sales implies year-over-year growth of 12.2% and 5.4%, respectively. The stock boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.9%.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Ameren Corporation (AEE): Free Stock Analysis Report DTE Energy Company (DTE): Free Stock Analysis Report Sunrun Inc. (RUN): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
Zacks Investment Research
