Clean Energy Is Trouncing Oil, Gas and Coal in Trump Era

President Donald Trump took office vowing to revive the coal industry’s fortunes. So far, the smart money has been on clean energy.

An index of 40 publicly-traded solar companies, wind-turbine component makers and others that benefit from reduced fossil fuel consumption is up 20 percent this year. That’s more than double the S&P 500’s 9.8 percent gain. And better than the 8.3 percent rise by an index of leading coal companies.

The eco-friendly stock rally—which comes as oil and natural gas-focused shares have dipped—stems from a constellation of factors, including a Nevada law to boost rooftop solar, China’s mass-transit policy ...