Don’t say climate: how cleantech is rebranding as national security in the Trump era

[ResidentialBusiness]

When startups speak of going green, that might now be in reference to the color’s association with the Army. 

At least that appears to be the thinking of many in the cleantech and sustainability sector, since the early actions of the Trump administration has made many anxious about the loss of climate-related government funding and incentives. Especially when the administration’s position against what the president calls the “Green New Scam” has led him to freeze congressionally allocated funding for green energy projects via the Inflation Reduction Act, it’s vital to find other means of support. Now the sector is finding more and more ways to tie itself to national security, not climate issues.

“Clean energy is good for a lot of different reasons,” said Daniel Bresette, president of the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), a nonprofit education and policy organization. “All of the stuff we might be saying about the national security benefits of clean energy today, they were absolutely also true yesterday. Even if the messaging shifts again, it will still absolutely be true.” 

Take the Solar Energy Industries Association, a renewables trade association. Just a few days ago on LinkedIn, the group posted the message “​​The new era of U.S. energy dominance is being built on American soil,” echoing, deliberately or not, President Trump’s language around unleashing U.S. energy.

That change in messaging isn’t necessarily just marketing. From job creation to reducing energy dependence to making the military more resilient, cleantech makes a credible case for being crucial to national defense.

“I’d like to push back on the notion that this is about ‘rebranding,’” said Rushad Nanavatty, managing director of Third Derivative, the cleantech incubator for RMI, the clean energy think tank. “The dual-use nature of climate technologies is substantive, and I’m certain many of these startups were eyeing defense well before the election. The military has extremely high-performance standards—its energy solutions need to be highly robust and resilient, have secure supply chains, minimize dependence on fuel, be less liable to blow up and catch on fire, deliver large amounts of energy very reliably.”

According to Nanavatty, a number of advanced technologies—microgrid controls, advanced batteries, and other forms of energy storage—as well as a range of advanced materials—often find their first applications in a military or aerospace context. That first investment then helps these applications become more advanced, cheaper, and then widely available. 

As Edwin Oshiba, a top logistics and energy policy leader for the US Air Force, told GovCIO in 2023, it’s crucial the military understand how climate change alters the nation’s ability to “​​project power overseas, how it impacts our ability to operate in a distributed environment.” And the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) acknowledged last year that the climate crisis “fundamentally alters the conditions that shape military operations at home and around the world,” and requires adaptation strategies. The military is known for its logistics expertise, which values efficiency, whether that’s measured in time to move goods or energy usage. 

Several portfolio companies supported by Third Derivative already work with the Department of Defense, including Lex Products (energy storage systems), Sesame Solar (mobile nanogrids), Joule Case (mobile power solutions), and Electricfish (flexible EV charging). Swedish startup BLIXT, which develops solid state circuit breakers, was recently selected to participate in NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA).

In addition, bolstering renewable tech and the use of renewable and storage tech helps with community and grid resilience. America’s armed forces also have a substantial footprint, both internationally and abroad. There are nearly 500 military bases across the United States, which can become testing grounds for clear energy technology. Naval ports have explored resilience strategies in an era of rising sea levels and climate change-fueled weather patterns. In Texas, a handful of bases are piloting geothermal power systems, which would help make them more resilient. 

“When someone says clean energy investments promote national security, it helps that it’s true,” said Bresette.

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