US has ‘no choice’ over cheap solar and wind, Al Gore tells Davos
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Al Gore told leaders at the World Economic Forum that the US has no viable alternative to embracing cheap solar and wind energy. Speaking during a session at Bloomberg House, Gore criticized the Trump administration’s stance on renewables and emphasized the economic reality of the global energy transition.
Solar and wind are now the least expensive sources of new electricity, Gore said. As countries electrify their transportation and industrial sectors, clean energy will dominate future power systems. He dismissed political resistance in the US as disconnected from technological and financial progress.
“We really do not have any choice about this,” Gore said. “Renewable is taking over.”
His comments came just one day after the Davos summit opened under heightened global attention. Organizers have played down climate as a theme this year, but speakers like Gore ensured it stayed at the forefront. The former vice president, now chair of Generation Investment Management, used the platform to argue that the clean energy shift is now led by market forces.
Trump’s climate stance called out in public forum
Gore did not hold back in criticizing the current US administration. In a conversation with financier David Rubenstein, Gore described President Trump’s freeze on offshore wind construction as both irrational and dangerous.
“Why are we ending the wind farms that are now being built on the coast of the United States?” Rubenstein asked. Gore answered plainly: “Because Trump is insane.”
Several major offshore wind projects remain on pause following federal orders issued in December. The administration has cited national security concerns but offered little public explanation. Judges have allowed work to resume on some projects in New York, Rhode Island and Virginia, but legal uncertainty continues to cloud the future of wind energy on the East Coast.
The administration’s efforts to restrict renewable development have faced strong opposition from clean energy companies, state governments and environmental groups. Critics argue that blocking projects already under construction undermines investment and sends the wrong message to the global energy market.
Energy leaders say technology must drive balance
Other Davos speakers echoed the theme of transition and balance in the energy sector. Andrés Gluski, chief executive officer of AES Corporation, said that the discussion around renewables has become too politicized. Speaking during an energy security panel, he argued that modern energy systems need both clean power and traditional fuels, depending on technology and geography.
“I find a lot of the thinking is politicized. Either you are 100 percent renewables or you are against renewables,” Gluski said. “This makes no sense whatsoever.”
Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, said global electricity demand will continue to rise, driven by artificial intelligence, air conditioning and electric vehicles. He noted that renewables, natural gas and nuclear power will be essential to meet future energy needs.
“Lots of supplies are coming,” Birol said, referring to recent expansions in renewables and liquefied natural gas. “But it will not be forever.”
Meghan O’Sullivan, a Harvard professor and former national security adviser under President George W. Bush, warned that low oil prices could hurt American production in the long term. She added that the administration’s use of foreign policy tools to influence global energy markets could discourage investment.
“A fifty-three dollar barrel of oil is not consistent with high American oil production,” O’Sullivan said. “This is going to quell investment, rather than enhance it.”
Artificial intelligence adds pressure to future demand
Another area of focus at Davos was the role of artificial intelligence in reshaping energy consumption. Nat Bullard, an adviser and former BloombergNEF executive, presented his annual decarbonization outlook and warned that data center growth could create wide uncertainty in electricity forecasting.
Bullard said energy use by data centers in the US could reach over 1,000 terawatt hours by 2030, depending on how efficiently AI is deployed. In a recent utility experiment, a software system developed by startup Emerald AI significantly reduced GPU cluster energy use in real time. This kind of optimization may shift future demand curves.
“It is technologies like this that could substantially change the forward demand curve,” Bullard said. “The question to ask is what else might come along.”
Gore, who has long argued for a full pivot to renewable power, said the accelerating pace of innovation supports a clean energy future. Despite political obstacles in the US, he insisted that renewable adoption is not a choice but an economic and environmental requirement.
Industry leaders at Davos largely agreed that climate policy will be shaped by economics as much as regulation. While fossil fuels continue to play a role in some markets, they face growing competition from cheaper and cleaner alternatives.
In China, for example, electricity use in heavy industries has risen as the country replaces coal-powered systems with grid-connected electric options. Bullard pointed to steel plants using electric arc furnaces instead of coal-fueled blast furnaces. Though the grid still includes coal power, the process emits less carbon and fits into a larger trend of decarbonization over time.
As Gore summarized, “You are using less coal in the process, even if there is coal being used to create the power.”
Political resistance meets market momentum
The clean energy transition remains politically charged in the US, but market dynamics are shifting the conversation. Developers have pointed to falling costs, maturing supply chains and international investment trends as reasons to continue building wind and solar infrastructure despite policy reversals.
At Davos, the contrast between US political divisions and international enthusiasm for renewables was clear. While some leaders focused on national energy strategies, others stressed that global cooperation is essential.
Gore’s message to the forum was rooted in that global perspective. He said that future energy systems must align with climate goals, cost reductions and technological innovation. In his view, the world has already chosen solar and wind, and the US must catch up.
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