Despite pullback from the federal government, the U.S. is "persisting with the energy transition that was already afoot before Donald Trump was elected," said Danny Kennedy, managing director of the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF), and it "won't be reversed." 

However, the U.S. needs to "get real" to get ahead of the renewable energy trend, he said.

"Leadership has shifted across the Pacific" to China, he said: The country installed 11 GW of solar capacity in July, compared to the 16 GW that the U.S. built in the year. 

Corporate buyers, state regulators and large utilities are increasingly taking a leadership role across the U.S. with significant renewable energy projects. In New York, ConEdison is leading a set of initiatives called Reforming the Energy Vision, or REV, to redefine the way customers participate in the electric power system. In California, Governor Jerry Brown, state legislators and the California Public Utilities Commission are pushing increases in renewable energy procurement.