This article addresses the relationship between international trade law and renewable energy focusing on the role played by free trade agreements (FTAs). The analysis of the legal implications of the diverse and evolving techniques used by FTAs to incorporate renewable energy within their texts is framed within a broader theory of the evolution of the narrative underlying the trade and environment nexus. The article argues that the space devoted to environmental and renewable energy considerations in trade agreements has not only expanded but, more importantly, it has significantly changed, reflecting the evolution of trade agreements which are less and less simply trying to accommodate environmental concerns but rather becoming important instruments to ensure the effective advancement of environmental goals.