There are many reasons to be excited about advances in renewable energy: The field is helping to preserve the environment while creating new industries and opportunities for investors. If you want to participate in the green revolution, renewable energy stocks are a good place to start.
5 top-performing renewable energy stocks
The best-performing renewable energy stock by one-year return is Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd (ENLT), which is up 235.75%. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ticker | Company | Performance (Year) | ||
ENLT | Enlight Renewable Energy Ltd | 235.75% | ||
NRGV | Energy Vault Holdings Inc | 173.33% | ||
AXIA | Axia Energia ADR | 88.54% | ||
FLNC | Fluence Energy Inc | 76.39% | ||
XIFR | XPLR Infrastructure LP | 28.63% | ||
Source: Finviz. Data is current as of August 3, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only. | ||||
The list above includes utilities stocks involved in the production, storage or distribution of renewable energy. Keep in mind that performance is only one data point, and stocks that are currently performing well may not be the best-performing stocks next year — or even next week. Investing in individual stocks is inherently risky and should be done with caution.
» Want to add energy stocks to your portfolio? Compare options among the best brokers for stock trading
Why should I invest in renewable energy?
Many people have personal or ethical reasons to invest in renewables, but the chance to help the planet isn’t the only potential benefit of including renewable energy in your portfolio. Investing in alternative energy can help diversify your holdings. When oil and other traditional energy resources are experiencing volatility, renewable investments may act as a stabilizing force.
Renewable energy is also becoming more affordable, making it more enticing to buyers and potentially to investors. The price of solar energy has dropped, as has the cost of solar panels themselves. Wind energy is also one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world, and one of the cheapest.
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An easier approach: ESG funds
If you’re excited about investing in wind and solar energy, there’s an easier way to do it than researching individual companies: mutual funds. These funds are like baskets of stocks — you invest in one fund and gain exposure to many companies all at once. ESG funds are graded on their performance across environmental, social and governance factors. A fund that scores well in the “environmental” category likely avoids investing in companies with a large carbon footprint and may invest in multiple clean energy stocks.
According to independent research firm Morningstar, the number of sustainable index mutual funds and exchange-traded funds has more than doubled over the last few years — as has the money invested in mutual funds — giving sustainable investors more choice as to where they invest.
» Find alternative energy funds: Explore top-rated ESG funds
Frequently Asked Questions
Are clean energy stocks expensive?
This will depend on the particular stock. Some clean energy companies, such as Tesla, are fairly expensive, while others, such as NextEra Energy, are far less expensive. Like all stocks, clean energy stock prices may fluctuate due to broader market forces — in this case, factors such as new legislation, oil prices and public interest.
Do you owe money if your energy stocks go down?
No, if your energy stocks decrease in value, you likely will not owe any money. If the company you invested in goes out of business, you lose the value of your investment, but you generally will not lose more than you invested unless you engaged in riskier trading strategies. For instance, if you bought a wind energy stock for $100 and the company went out of business, you would lose the $100, but you would not owe $100.
Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication.
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