Vault Law Resource Center
Clean Tech & Renewable Energy
Overview
Clean Tech lawyers advise new and established companies and their investors on issues affecting the renewable energy industry, including project development, energy regulatory counseling, debt and tax equity project finance, joint ventures, and startup counseling. Many clean tech lawyers also practice in other areas of the energy industry, or at least got their starts there. The energy regulatory landscape for companies in this sector has a lot of overlap with that of those in the traditional energy sector, so the knowledge and practice can often be very similar, though the regulations affecting renewable energy companies are still developing. The companies in this space include traditional energy and power companies that are branching out, as well as startups that are focused solely on renewable energy technologies. Clean Tech practices allow lawyers interested in combatting climate change to put that into practice in a commercial manner. As the renewable energy industry is still in its infancy and growing quickly, this is an area which is quickly developing—clean tech lawyers are in demand and have a lot of career options.