I don't think PoW can ever be considered environmentally friendly.
That's down to miners and the energy industry. It's possible that sometime relatively soon clean energy will be cheaper than any dirty alternative, if only because they've died out rather than being priced out but that's likely too.
A whiter than white Bitcoin would certainly add to its aroma. And the trend of power producers mining themselves is likely to accelerate as well. That added incentive could drive more innovation and lower prices for infrastructure.