TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is perhaps the least known of the five so-called Big Oil giants, in large part because it doesn’t own U.S. gas stations. But, as the oil and gas industry more broadly retrenches from renewable power and doubles down on fossil fuels, the French energy behemoth has quietly emerged as the industry’s clean energy leader.

In less than 15 years, Total has built or acquired more than 30 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity—mostly solar power—with the aim of hitting 100 gigawatts by 2030 amid a rapid global buildout from the U.S. to Europe to India. That goal is enough to power roughly 75 million homes annually. 

Earlier this year, Total paid nearly $2 billion to acquire the German renewables developer VSB Group. Chairman and CEO Patrick Pouyanné has called the integrated power business—led by renewables—the “second pillar” and fastest-growing part of the company, even as its oil and gas production volumes continue to rise.