AI demand ignites the green energy sector! These 5 stocks have quietly surged this year, with the biggest gain exceeding 223%.

Since 2026, energy stocks have climbed steadily as the Middle East war pushed up oil and gas prices, while the artificial intelligence (AI) trade has also shown solid momentum. Yet outside the market's spotlight, some green energy companies in the sustainability space have quietly outperformed many popular peers. Data shows that fuel cell manufacturer Bloom Energy (BE.US) has risen more than 223% year to date, the best performer among all peers in the industry; its competitor FuelCell Energy (FCEL.US) has also posted triple-digit gains this year. Both companies are benefiting from AI-driven growth in electricity demand. It is reported that Bloom Energy signed a series of major deals this year. In April, the company signed a framework agreement with Oracle Corporation (ORCL.US) for the purchase of up to 2.8 gigawatts of fuel cells, and expanded its cooperation with alternative asset management giant Brookfield (BAM.US), which is continuously expanding its AI business footprint, from $5 billion to $25 billion. The company signed a $2.65 billion, 20-year power purchase agreement with American Electric Power Company, Inc. (AEP), under which it will build and operate a fuel cell power generation facility in Wyoming to provide long-term electricity supply to AEP. In July, the company also announced a $1.7 billion project investment to provide dedicated power solutions for AI cloud computing company Nebius (NBIS.US). FuelCell Energy, meanwhile, reached a 380-megawatt data center power supply agreement with Fit Energy USA LP during the year, and signed a capacity reservation agreement for a Texas project with a major data center operator. At the same time, high-performance power module manufacturer Vicor Corporation (VICR.US) has risen more than 97% year to date; the company designs and manufactures modular power components and power systems that efficiently convert and deliver power for high-performance electronic devices. Enlight Renewable Energy (ENLT.US), a renewable energy company that develops and operates utility-scale solar, wind and energy storage projects in multiple markets, has risen about 58% this year. Advanced materials company Aspen Aerogels (ASPN.US) has gained more than 81% this year; the company designs and manufactures high-performance aerogel materials used in thermal barriers for electric vehicle batteries, energy-saving insulation materials and other energy applications. All five green stocks have significantly outperformed the popular Clean Energy Fuels Corp. exchange-traded fund (ETF). Data shows that the iShares Global Clean Energy ETF (ICLN.US) and the First Trust NASDAQ Clean Edge Green Energy Index Fund (QCLN.US) have both risen about 8% year to date. These five stocks have also significantly outperformed the three major U.S. equity indexes: the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite. Compared with the AI industry, shares of Bloom Energy, FuelCell Energy, Vicor Corporation and Aspen Aerogels have all outperformed the two major chip ETFs the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX.US) and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH.US) while also beating the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF (AIQ.US). Although Renewable Energy's stock performance has lagged the iShares Semiconductor ETF, it has still outperformed the VanEck Semiconductor ETF and the Global X Artificial Intelligence & Technology ETF since the start of 2026. In addition, Wall Street analysts are generally optimistic about these five stocks. Specifically, the consensus rating on Wall Street for Bloom Energy is "Buy," with an average price target of $280.24, roughly in line with the stock's Thursday closing price; the consensus rating for FuelCell Energy is "Buy," with an average price target of $20.33, implying nearly 15% upside from the stock's Thursday closing price; the consensus rating for Vicor Corporation is "Strong Buy," with an average price target of $386.25, implying nearly 79% upside from the stock's Thursday closing price; the consensus rating for Renewable Energy is "Buy," with an average price target of $87.88, implying nearly 17% upside from the stock's Thursday closing price; and the consensus rating for Aspen Aerogels is "Buy," with an average price target of $7.75, implying nearly 51% upside from the stock's Thursday closing price.