We recently published a list of 12 Best Renewable Energy Stocks to Buy in 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) stands against other best renewable energy stocks to buy in 2025.
Governments are focused on clean energy worldwide. In 2024, a record 30 GW of utility-scale solar power to the U.S. grid was produced, accounting for almost 61% of capacity additions last year. The expansion of green energy holds much promise for clean energy stocks in 2025 and ahead.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Clean Energy Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires
President Trump’s focus on domestic energy production is expected to boost local production. Solar and storage energy, which will account for 84% of new grid capacity in 2024, are major sources of realizing this vision. According to the U.S. Energy Information and Administration (EIA), around 63 GW of new utility-scale electric generating capacity is expected to be added to the U.S. power grid in 2025. This will mark a 30% growth from 2024. Solar and battery storage combined account for 81% of the expected total capacity additions, with solar driving 50% of the growth.
In 2025, the buildout of big solar and battery plants is estimated to reach an all-time high. The wind projects will also add to the new power capacity in renewable and battery energy sources, which are expected to reach 93%. EIA expects 7.7 GW of wind energy capacity to be added to the U.S. grid in 2025.
“Renewables will be the biggest beneficiary of growing electricity demand because they are the cheapest option, and [electricity buyers] will always absorb as much of the cheapest source of power before turning to more expensive forms of power,” Bruce Flatt, Brookfield’s chief executive, told Wall Street analysts.
According to IEA, renewable energy consumption in the power, transport, and heat sectors is expected to rise by over 60% from 2024 to 2030. This reflects the share of renewables in final energy consumption to reach almost 20% by 2030. The growing electricity demand will also drive the production of renewable energy. Electricity generation from clean sources makes up almost three-quarters of the overall growth, driven by policy changes in more than 130 countries.
Our Methodology
We used the Finviz screener and renewable energy ETFs to shortlist renewable energy companies with a market capitalization of more than $500 million. We then looked for renewable stocks widely held by hedge funds. Data for the number of hedge fund investors for each stock was taken from Insider Monkey’s database, updated as of Q4 2024. Finally, the 12 best renewable energy stocks to buy were ranked in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds holding stakes in them.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds and billionaire investors pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
A technician working with a control panel in a gas distribution center.
The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)
No. of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
The Southern Company (NYSE:SO) is a wholesale energy provider that serves over 9 million customers in almost 15 states in the U.S. The company has notable investments in renewable energy and plans to have more than 20,000 MW of renewable and storage resources by 2030. The company’s electric subsidiary, Georgia Power, serves almost 2.7 million consumers and expects to procure an additional 4,000 MW of renewable energy and 1,000 MW of battery resources by 2035.
On April 8, Jeremy Tonet from JPMorgan upgraded the rating on SO shares from Underweight to Neutral and increased the price target from $91 to $94. The analyst mentioned key aspects of The Southern Company (NYSE:SO)’s growth, including an attractive regulatory environment and robust economic strength for its service territories. Mizuho analyst Anthony Crowdell also maintained a Neutral stance on SO with a recent price target increase from $85 to $90. This upgrade follows the company’s plan of $62.8 billion in capital investment from 2025 to 2029, which is expected to boost rate-based growth.
Overall, SO ranks 7th on our list of best renewable energy stocks to buy in 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of SO to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks have lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SO but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.