How the global wind-power industry is losing steam

On Jan.20, Donald Trump’s first day in office, the president wasted no time delivering a death knell to the offshore wind industry. He signed an executive order that stopped all new approvals, and renewals, of wind energy projects on federal lands and waters, citing “consequences of which may lead to grave harm — including negative impacts on navigational safety interests, transportation interests, national security interests, commercial interests, and marine mammals.” Or as Trump said during a post-inaugural rally the same day, “We’re not going to do the wind thing.

Big, ugly windmills, they ruin your neighborhood.”Just two weeks after Trump’s order, New Jersey abruptly canceled the Atlantic Shores project, which was poised to become the state’s first offshore wind development.In a statement, Gov.

Phil Murphy, who’d set a goal to achieve 100% clean energy in New Jersey by 2035, called the industry a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs, drive an entirely new manufacturing supply chain, and secure energy independence,” but acknowledged that the offshore wind industry “is currently facing significant challenges, and now is the time for patience and prudence.”Despite the setbacks, offshore wind experts continue to be hopeful.While the Atlantic Shores cancellation is “a disappointing outcome, it is important to remember that one offshore wind project is not the whole industry,” says Kris Ohleth, executive director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, a wind policy think tank.Over the last quarter century, wind has grown to become the largest source of renewable electricity in the country, its power-generating capacity jumping from 2.4 gigawatts in 2000 to 150.1 gigawatts in April 2024, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

More than 73,000 wind turbines have already been constructed, generating 153,000 megawatts or enough to power 46 million homes, according to clean energy tra...